Kamen Rider KAI
by Kamen Rider Chrome
Summary: A new school is always scary, well Youkai Academy is even scarier, and dangerous. Now, watch as Shintaro Mido takes his first step into the scary world of Youkai Academy as he makes friends, enemies, and gains some romantic admirers as well. Prepare yourself for a new adventure because the hero has come...ON STAGE! The first arc is now complete!
1. Kai On Stage!

Topper's Pawn Shop was a mysterious place. It was a shop that sold, bought and traded curios, oddities and antiques of various origins and backgrounds. Often, the customers were people seeking for something special or seeking to be rid of something that was far too troublesome to keep in spite of its value. Always, there was a price for something. The owner, Topper Liquer, had a motto: "Everything has a price".

There was a storm, with thunder crashing and lightning flashing, the rain coming down as a heavy shower. The door opened and the bell above chimed as Topper entered. He was a Caucasian male, in his prime, with a long, sharp nose, and blonde hair. His choice of attire was a green overcoat over a striped shirt and black slacks with white pinstripes. He also wore a bowtie. His shoes were black and made of leather and atop his head was a black top hat. He folded up his umbrella and slid it into the umbrella stand.

Topper Liquer would often leave his shop to hunt down new items for his shop. Tonight, of course, Topper had just acquired a rare and unique item. Quite the unique item indeed.

"You can come in now," Topper said over his shoulder. Stepping through the threshold was a figure in black, an expression of weariness on his face. He just seemed so resigned and tired. Of what, only he and Topper knew. "I'll get everything ready. You just make yourself at home."

"...Thank you," came out from the mouth of Topper's guest. He just sounded so exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

"Don't thank me yet. We still have much work to do," Topper said.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Kai, On Stage!**

* * *

**6 Months Later...**

A young teenage boy was getting ready to head to school. He was wearing a green blazer over a white shirt with a red tie and brown slacks. He wore green sneakers on his feet and had his backpack hanging from his shoulders. On his hands he wore black gloves. He had feminine features, albeit slightly plain, with indigo eyes and hair. His hair was short, parted in the middle, with two strands sticking up on top.

With him was Topper and a young man around his age. He had dark hair that was slightly tinted green and tied into a short ponytail at the base of his skull. He was dressed in a black vest over a white and black checkered dress shirt with black, white pinstriped, slacks. He was giving the younger teen a caring smile, one given exclusively to family.

"Well, looks like today's the day, Shintaro," said Kaze. "You're going off to school."

"Hai, Kaze," Shintaro smiled. "Topper, thank you for taking care of me." He gave the top hat wearing man a bow.

"Just make sure to write," said Topper. "And don't bow. Gimme a hug." He wrapped his foster son in his arms and gave him a tight hug. "Just remember to write, call or even e-mail."

"I promise," Shintaro swore. He climbed onto the bus and said, "Well, hopefully I get to see you all during break."

"See you then. Au revoir," Kaze waved as Shintaro waved before entering the bus and taking a seat. As the bus pulled away, Kaze and Topper both watched as it moved further and further away from their sight.

"Papa, did you tell him about the school?" Kaze asked Topper who smiled mysteriously.

"Only that it was a co-ed boarding school," Topper replied. "The rest he'll find out on his own."

"Do you think he'll fit in?" asked Kaze. "I mean, considering..."

"He'll be fine," said Topper. "Besides, in Youkai Academy, almost everyone with unusual backgrounds can find a place to belong. Now, come on. We have a shop to open and customers to serve."

"Oui, Papa," saluted Kaze. Topper snapped his fingers and the door opened, which caused the bell above the doorframe to chime.

"Let's see what new surprises today will bring."

* * *

Shintaro was looking out the window as the scenery passed him by. The bus had driven out of the city just a few minutes ago and Shintaro just gazed out at the beauty of it all. He had never left the city since he could remember and wondered what Youkai Academy was like. He always saw kids in school uniforms pass by the shop and wondered what school was like. However, Topper simply told him that he was getting him ready for the right school. Until then, Shintaro was home-schooled by Topper. Kaze also helped out with his education, tutoring him, and Shintaro picked up on things quickly.

Shintaro looked around the inside of the bus. He was the only passenger and the only company he had was the bus driver up front. When Shintaro had first saw him, he wondered how the man got his eyes to glow like that.

"Say, kid," the bus driver spoke.

"Yes?" Shintaro replied.

"So, you're going to Youkai Academy, huh?" the bus driver questioned.

"That's right. It's my first day," Shintaro smiled. "I wonder what it'll be like."

"Oh, Youkai Academy is a scary and dangerous place," the bus driver warned. "Just be ready for anything, kid. The wrong step might be your last."

Shintaro cocked an eyebrow at the strange warning. He dismissed it as a joke since the bus driver was still grinning. However, Shintaro was wondering why a school would call itself 'Youkai Academy'. Youkai was a term mostly associated with spirits, ghosts or demons in Japan. For a school to be named that was indeed strange, but Shintaro was used to the strange and unusual. Living with the Liquer Family was not exactly an average affair.

According to Topper, the school was out in the country, away from the city. It was a boarding school too, which meant Shintaro would be staying on campus the whole time. Everything a student needed would be on campus. As for the fees, they were already paid for via scholarship. Apparently, Topper had connections and able to get him enrolled without the need for an entrance exam.

The bus drove into a tunnel and everything went dark. Shintaro blinked and his eyes widened as the bus exited the tunnel and into a place that was facing a blood red sea. The bus stopped at a bus stop which had a scarecrow for a sign.

"Here's our stop, kid," the bus driver said. "Remember what I said about this place being scary and dangerous."

"I will, and thank you," said Shintaro before stepping out of the bus. "Now, time to find the school." He looked at the forest ahead of him, with a path cutting through. There was a sign that told him that he would need to go through the path to reach school. "A walk through a creepy forest. Well, not exactly the first walk to school I expected, but it's the only way to go." He sighed, "I wish I could've taken my bike with me. Let's hope Topper can have it sent over as promised."

* * *

"...Okay, I know without a doubt that I'm freaking lost," Shintaro stated as he stood in the middle of the path. Well, it was a path but now he was standing in the middle of an intersection of paths and with no signs to give him directions. He took out the school's pamphlet from his blazer's pocket and opened it up. "And no map." He folded it up. "Fan-freaking-tastic. Now I'm gonna be late for orientation." He muttered while scratching his head, "This can't get any worse."

"KYAAAAAA!"

**WHAM!**

* * *

The last thing Shintaro remembered was something heavy and blunt hitting him in the back of the head before he made a very comical face-plant straight into a nearby tree. As the pain began to subside and his sight became more focused, he stared up at what appeared to be a pink, blurry blob or something.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?" asked the blurry pink blob in a distinctive female voice. His eyes focused completely and he blinked as he gazed up at the girl. She had fair skin, long pink hair and emerald green eyes. She was dressed in the same uniform as him, except it was the girls' uniform. She didn't wear a tie and wore a skirt the same color as his slacks. Around her neck was a black choker with a cross hanging from it. "Are you alright?"

"Wow...you're pretty," he uttered and she blushed in response. He also blushed after realizing what he'd just said. Shintaro sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "What hit me?" he asked, hissing.

"That would be me," she admitted. "I lost control of my bicycle and accidentally hit you in the head from behind." She pointed to said bike. The front wheel was bent. "I won't be able to use it now." She asked, "Are you really OK? Do you need me to help take you to the nurse's office."

"Nah, I'm fine," he said. "I can walk it off." She then sniffed him. "Um...what are you doing...?"

"I'm sorry...but your smell...it's just...so good..." she leaned in. "I'm sorry, but I'm..." She wrapped her arms around him. "A vampire." She then bit his neck and Shintaro's body went rigid as her canines (fangs) sunk into his flesh. He then started to groan as he felt his blood being slowly sucked out. She then removed himself from him and gasped once she realized what she'd done. "Oh my! I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me!"

"That's...that's fine," he said, unsure what to say since the girl had just bitten him, claiming to be vampire. "So you're a vampire, huh? What's that like?"

"Oh...well...we drink blood," she said. "And well..."

"Would a stake through the heart kill you?" he asked.

"That would kill anyone," she replied.

"Oh, right," Shintaro nodded in agreement. A long stick of sharpened wood would kill anyone when pierced through their heart. "Wait, it's day time. How can you...?"

"You're one of those people who subscribe to the old mythology, aren't you?" she questioned. He nodded.

"I guess we can get to know each other later, but..." Shintaro checked his watch. If they didn't get moving soon, they were going to be late. "I need to stop at the dorm first." Along with his dorm key, he had received his new Student ID. Topper had told him that his things would be delivered right at his doorstep.

"I actually came from there," she said to him. "I can show you the way."

"Really?" he asked. That was quite courteous of her.

"Of course! I owe you for letting me drink your blood!" she beamed.

"Ah, right," he replied. '_Actually, you kinda went and took my blood,'_ he said in his mind. "Well, let's go."

"But my bike," she frowned sadly. Shintaro's gaze went towards the bicycle.

"I can fix it," he offered and he went and picked up the bicycle. Only the front wheel appeared ruined, bent because of the impact (with his skull).

"How?" she asked.

"I have the magic touch," Shintaro smiled and he ran his hand along the wheel. Right before her eyes, his hand glowed and the glow spread along the wheel and the rest of the bike. Slowly, the wheel began to slowly unbend until it was in the state it was in pre-impact.

"H-h-how?" she asked as Shintaro wheeled the bicycle to her.

"I have the _magic touch_, I told you," he smiled. He knew he risked alienating her for showing off such abilities, but she had claimed to be a vampire, so he thought it would be okay to help fix her bicycle.

"Magic? You can use magic?" she asked and her face brought out in a smile. "That's amazing!"

"Not really," he said. "All I can do is fix and restore things. It's nothing special. Now, come on, let's get to the dorm." He then paused and asked, "Say, since you bit me, I think it's common courtesy for us to introduce ourselves."

"Oh," she realized with a blush. "How could I forget my manners? My name is Moka Akashiya."

"Shintaro Mido," he told her. "Nice to meet you, Akashiya-san."

"Call me Moka."

"Only if you'll call me Shintaro, Moka-chan."

* * *

"So, this is the place, huh?" Shintaro managed to say at the sight of the dormitories. The dormitories looked like condemned flats that had been left abandoned. Like a set of a horror movie involving an escaped mental patient who had taken the building as his home and would kill any and all trespassers.

"It really has a nice and unique charm, doesn't it?" Moka smiled.

"Yes, _unique_..." he managed to say, pretending to agree. "Well, I guess I should head up to my dorm. Thank you so much. I'll see you later at orientation, Moka-chan." Moka smiled then rode off on her bike. As he turned to head up to his assigned dorm, he noticed a girl with luggage and boxes standing in front of the female dorm. He then walked over towards her. She had her back facing her and He saw that she was in a white sweatshirt with long blue sleeves, the same skirt as Moka's, and she had on purple and white striped stockings. Her hair was long and a beautiful shade of purple.

"Um...excuse me?" he asked. "Do you need help with your luggage?" She turned to look at him and he was taken aback. She was beautiful. Her skin was pale, almost snow white, and her eyes were like pools of water reflecting the color of the sky. She lacked pupils, but that didn't take away the fact that she was beautiful. She also had a lollipop in her mouth, the stick poking out between her lips. If all the girls at this school were this beautiful, well, Shintaro thought he was going to enjoy his time here.

"You want to help me?" she asked.

"Well, yeah," Shintaro said. "This seems like a lot of stuff for a lady like yourself to carry on your own. Besides, a gentleman must always give aid to a lady. That's what a friend of mine always say." That was one of the things Kaze had told him. Good, sagely advice from a close friend. He then introduced himself, "I'm Shintaro Mido."

"Mizore Shirayuki," she introduced yourself.

"Even your name is pretty," he complimented. "Now, come on. Show me to your dorm."

* * *

After helping Mizore move her things to her dorm, Shintaro went to find his way towards campus. Fortunately, it wasn't a very long walk and he found the building after following students walking towards the school's direction. It looked like a medieval mansion. "Must be a theme," he remarked. He then went in to find his classroom. His orientation would be taking place in Class 1-B. Meanwhile, as he walked through the gate, he did not notice Mizore poking her head from behind a tree with a smile on her face and a look of affection and adoration on her face.

"Shintaro~" she uttered before following him.

* * *

The entrance ceremony was fortunately a short affair. Basically, just to welcome the new students to their first year of school. Any other details would be explained by their homeroom teachers. Shintaro hadn't seen Moka or Mizore, as he had hoped, but he had a feeling he would be seeing them again. After the ceremony, he found his assigned classroom and took a seat

His homeroom teacher was a sight to see. She was a very pretty woman with short strawberry blonde hair, a spaghetti strap top and a short skirt. She sported a pair of cute glasses on her face and parts of her hair looked like cat ears. What really got his attention was the tail that was swinging behind her. Was she into cosplay or something?

"Welcome, everyone, to Youkai Academy!" she greeted cheerfully, bringing equal cheers from the students on the classroom. "I'll be your homeroom teacher, Shizuka Nekonome!" Shintaro couldn't help but cheer along with the students. His teacher sure knew how to brighten the mood. The people here didn't seem all that bad. He could get used to this. "Now, as I'm sure you're all aware," Nekonome-sensei continued, drawing a pointer. "This school is a school for monsters!"

That was when the cheering died in his throat. '_Wait...__**what**__!?_'

"So, like it or not, humans run the world!" Nekonome-sensei continued. "We monsters have to learn to coexist with them. That is the mission of this school! To coexist peacefully with the humans! Which brings us to rule number one: always remain in human form! You must never expose your true self to anyone! Doing so will bring about strict disciplinary action!"

Was this some kind of joke? He quickly scanned his classmates. They were not laughing. In fact, they were taking this news like normal. He remembered Moka claiming that she was a vampire. Then it dawned on him that Nekonome-sensei was serious and not kidding at all.

Shouldn't he have known this at the entrance ceremony?

A school for monsters. He was in a school for _monsters_! Topper Liquer, his guardian, had sent him to a school for monsters!

"Does everyone understand this?" Ms. Nekonome asked seriously. "This is our first key of survival among the humans. To practice the art of disguise, please do not reveal your true nature, even to your fellow students."

"But can't we just eat all the humans ma'am?" asked one of the students. He had long brown hair that reached his neck and some piercings on his face. "I could start with all the cute girls."

For some reason, Shintaro felt angered by that remark. Eat humans, the cute girls especially? That was not something Shintaro would just tolerate. He heard whispers, "_Hey, isn't that Saizou Komiya? Wasn't he sent here for causing trouble in the human world?_"

"You can't do that!" Nekonome-sensei smiled as if one of her students hadn't just said something about eating people. "And there's no need to worry about humans. All the faculty members and fellow students are monsters just like you. This school exists behind a special barrier so no humans have ever seen it. Well, seen it and lived."

'_Seen it and lived?'_ Shintaro repeated in his mind. Now he was starting to get nervous. He was a single human in a school filled with monsters-disguised-as-humans. How long until they realized he was human?

"I'm sorry!" a voice said as the door slid opened. "I got lost in the halls after the welcoming ceremony…and…sorry I'm late!"

"Ara, that's alright," Nekonome-sensei smiled at the student. "Just take whatever empty seat you find."

Shintaro looked to see who had come in and his eyes widened. It was the super cute vampire that he'd met this morning! He blushed while all the male students in the room began to gape at her beauty. Suddenly all the boys stood up from their seats, save for Shintaro, gaping as they saw the beautiful Moka trying to find her desk. The way she walked down the aisles of desks made her look almost like a model walking down the strip. She certainly had the face and figure for such an occupation.

"So kawaii..."

"That hair..."

"I want to embrace her!"

"No way that's a disguise," one of the boys drooled. "She's just too…"

"BEAUTIFUL!" the collected boys roared.

Moka seemed to be a little surprised at how the entire classroom seemed to be reacting to her entry. It didn't even occur to her that she was really that beautiful. Still, she continued down the aisle toward an empty desk. As she got closer, she noticed a familiar head of indigo hair with two strands sticking out.

"Hmm?" she blinked. Leaning close, she managed to peek at the face of the boy who owned the indigo hair. "Shintaro-kun?"

Clearing his throat, he decided to greet her. "Hey, Moka-chan, I didn't expect that you'd be in the same class with me."

"Shintaro-kun? It's you!" She cheered as she jumped forward and trapped him in a tight embrace. Shintaro couldn't help but smile at the way she greeted her first friend here, although the other boys in class weren't amused.

"Huh? Who is that guy?"

"How does he get a hug from her?"

"That little bastard!"

"JESUS!"

Obviously the males in the room weren't happy at how Moka was being so friendly with Shintaro. Saizou was also giving Moka a lecherous look as well. He snaked his tongue out lightly. He'd just found his target and something new to play with. The guy she was with of no consequence and would be collateral damage anyway. Shintaro looked weak anyway.

He wasn't the only one giving the pair a look. Mizore was also glaring at Moka who was hugging Shintaro. The temperature around her seemed to fall several degrees as her eyes glared sharply at Moka Akashiya.

* * *

After giving the students their orientation, which was basically going through all the basic rules, Nekonome-sensei gave the students the rest of the day off. Classes would commence properly tomorrow so today the students would be given the chance to look around and explore their new school campus. As Shintaro got up, Moka approached him with a smile.

"Shintaro-kun, do you want to look around the school together?" she asked, smiling with a faint blush on her face. She probably felt a little embarrassed to ask a guy to look around the school with her. Shintaro was a bit hesitant, considering the nature of the school and students. However, as he had shown her his own abilities earlier to repair her bicycle, she would think he was a monster too.

"Well..." he started to say when he felt a cold chill. He then turned and saw that it was Mizore Shirayuki, the girl he had helped carry her luggage. "Ah, Shirayuki-san!" The students had each given their introductions. He was surprised to see that she was in his class as well.

"Shintaro," she smiled. "Want to look around the school together?" Moka, annoyed, looked between Shintaro and Moka.

"Excuse me, Shirayuki-san, but I asked Shintaro-kun first," said Moka.

"He hasn't given his answer," Mizore countered. Moka glared back at her.

"Now, now, girls," said Shintaro placatingly, "Please, there's no need to fight. We're all friends here." He suggested, "How about we go look around together?" The girls gave each other one last glare and then turned to face Shintaro before nodding in agreement.

* * *

The group of three friends were walking down a hallway, with Shintaro in between the two girls. Wherever they went, jaws dropped at the sight of the pretty vampire, not that she seemed to notice. Moka herself just thought that she was plain and uninteresting. The male students took notice of Moka and how close she was to Shintaro. Instantly, they became jealous. They also noticed Mizore too and the jealousy increased. They wondered what a guy like him had that they didn't and how he could have two girls walking alongside him.

"Wow, what a cutie!"

"What a babe!"

"She must be mine!"

"Oi! Who does that guy think he is!?"

"Who cares? If he gets in my way, he's dinner!"

Shintaro's hearing was very sharp it seemed since he heard them all. He gave off a sigh as he heard all the whispers and subtle threats against him. He really didn't want this to be his high school life. Being friends with Moka and Mizore was good since they were really nice. Still, being ostracized because of who he was friends with wasn't something he wanted to go through. He decided that it was best not to cause any problems just because of someone who he was friends with.

Still, his mind was reeling from the revelation of Youkai Academy being a school for monsters. Everywhere he looked were students but in reality they were monsters in disguise. He knew Moka was a vampire from earlier, but he didn't know what Mizore was. Still, would it matter? Monster or human, it shouldn't really matter when making friends. That was just bigoted and racist thinking that gave way to discrimination.

"Shintaro-kun."

"Shintaro."

Shintaro blinked as he heard himself being addressed. "Yes?"

"Are you OK?" she asked. "You seemed to be zoning out."

"I'm fine," said Shintaro. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Mizore asked. Before Shintaro could answer, that was when Saizou Komiya decided to make his move. Intimidated students stepped back to give way to the delinquent. Many rumors had been spread about him being violent and brutal so they were unwilling to incur his wrath.

"Hey, babe," Saizou said as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed and looking at Moka. "Moka Akashiya, right? Man, looks like I'm not the only one who thinks you're cute."

"Um, thanks," Moka nodded. "Who are you?"

"Ah, the name's Saizou Komiya," the boy introduced with a grin. "I'm one of your classmates."

"Oh…um," Moka nodded. "Good to meet you…I suppose."

"Well, maybe we can get to know each other better?" Saizou offered. "Leave the wimps here and come and hang with a real man?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm with Shintaro-kun...and Shirayuki-san right now," said Moka.

"Hey, that's fine by me," said Saizou as he gave Mizore a once over. She looked tasty too. "Your friend came come with, but let's ditch the wimp here."

"I'm sorry, but I really can't," Moka declined. Saizou's eyes narrowed.

"I said come with me," Saizou insisted.

"Hey!" Shintaro stepped forward. "She said no already! Can't you understand?"

Saizou took hold of Shintaro's collar and hefted him up threateningly. "What are you gonna do about it?" Saizou threatened. Instead of being intimidated, Shintaro just smiled.

"First I'm gonna kick you in the chest and then punch you in the face," Shintaro told Saizou. Saizou cocked his eyebrow before the wind was knocked out of him and he was sent flying across the hallway. He crashed into the wall on the opposite side. Shintaro landed on his feet and and fixed his collar. The collective jaws of the students in the hallway dropped at how easily Shintaro had struck Saizou. He then made his way to where Saizou was lying against the wall, grunting in pain.

"I thought...you said...you were gonna punch me in the face," Saizou recalled.

Shintaro smiled, "Oh, thanks for reminding me." He raised his fist to make good on his promise when Moka took hold of his wrist. She then dragged him away, quickly, with Mizore following. "Hey! Wait! Where are you taking me?"

Saizou, who had just been humiliated, started to snarl as he rose up. He dusted off his uniform and gave a glare to the students still staring at him. They backed off. His eyes went down the end of the hallway where Shintaro and the two girls had fled. He trembled with rage, veins appearing across his forehead, as he clenched his fists.

"Mido...!"

* * *

The trio reached the roof and Moka panted. Mizore didn't look winded at all. Shintaro, however, wondered why Moka had taken him up here. Then again, he could guess. She probably didn't want to see him get into any trouble.

"Shintaro-kun, you're really strong," said Moka.

"It's a gift," he said.

"I already knew he was strong," said Mizore. "He helped me take my boxes up to my dorm."

"You did?" Moka asked.

"It was after you helped me find the dorms. She had a lot of boxes and luggage so I decided to help her," Shintaro explained. "I was just paying it forward."

Moka wondered what Shintaro meant by that before turning to face the scenery around them. Shintaro also stopped to enjoy the sight before him. As creepy as Youkai Academy was, it had a charm that grew on him. He then felt a chill as Mizore wrapped her arms around his left arm. Moka, who was on his right, leaned in closer.

She started up another conversation, "I'm so glad I met you, Shintaro-kun. I'm not so good at making friend." She had on a shy blush as she averted her gaze.

"I'm glad I met you too," said Mizore.

"And I'm really happy that I got to suck your blood!" Moka smiled with a flush on your face. "You should be proud since your blood is just awesome! The texture, the aroma, the vitality, and there's even something in it I've never tasted before! Delicious!"

"What am I, a juice box?" Shintaro retorted with a deadpan look.

"Suck his blood?" Mizore asked. "Are you a vampire?"

"Is that a problem?" Moka asked.

"Are you really a vampire?" Mizore questioned. "You don't act like one."

"Have you met any?" Moka rebutted.

"No, but I heard vampires were supposed to be proud and arrogant. You're none of those," Mizore pointed out.

"Well, there's a real good reason for that," said Moka. She pointed to the cross hanging from her choker. "Do you see this rosary? It's a seal. If it gets taken off, I turn into a REALLY SCARY vampire," she said dramatically with her hands raised like claws.

"Really?" Shintaro said. "Then I hope not to get on your scary side then." Moka smiled. He hadn't been intimidated at all. Mizore's eyes, however, remained narrowed.

"So, where did you go to school before coming here?" Moka asked.

"Actually, I was home-schooled," said Shintaro.

"Home-schooled?" asked Mizore.

"It's complicated, but there were circumstances that prevented me from going to school with other kids," said Shintaro.

"Was it in the human world?" Moka asked.

"Well, yeah," he answered.

Moka confessed, "I think human schools are the worst. All through middle school everyone ignored me. They thought I was a weirdo. They made fun of me and told me that monsters didn't exist. So, I never made any friends. Eventually I thought it would be better if I really didn't exist. I just hate humans!" Shintaro sighed. He could understand her hatred for humans. If he had been treated that way, he probably wouldn't like humans either. However, that didn't mean that he would hate humans as a whole.

"You know, I understand how you feel," said Shintaro sympathetically. "I admit that there are bad people. Most people who see me use my powers instantly reject me and call me a freak." He paused for a moment and thought of Topper and Kaze, "But there are still good people out there, like the family that took me in when I had nothing and nowhere else to go."

"What do you mean?" Mizore asked.

"You had nowhere to go? You had nothing?" said Moka.

"Six months ago I didn't even know my own name," he told them. "That's the truth. I don't have any memories before the past six months. All I remember is living with my guardian and his son for the past six months. I don't know where I come from or even if I have any family still living in this world."

"Have you tried to look?" Mizore asked.

"It's a bit hard to do that," said Shintaro as he removed his right glove. He then showed them his fingers. "See? No fingerprints. I think they were removed somehow."

Moka gasped, "Someone removed your fingerprints?" Shintaro put his glove back on and nodded. "Why?"

"I don't know, but I intend to find out, someday," Shintaro swore. He then smiled, "Sorry if my story made you depressed."

"It's fine," said Mizore.

"At least I get to know you better, Shintaro-kun," smiled Moka.

* * *

School was let out early so the students could return to their dorms and unpack whatever luggage they had brought with them. Shintaro decided to go on ahead. He still had boxes and luggage to unpack. He just hoped nothing was broken when they were being delivered. Accompanying him were Moka and Mizore who wanted to see his dorm. He welcomed them. They could continue getting to know each other away from the rest of the students who seemed to be looking at them. If it wasn't because of Moka and Mizore's beauty, it was probably because he had stood up to Saizou.

Speaking of Saizou, he was following them like a hunter. He had been humiliated and he could not forgive anyone for making him look weak. He had a reputation, dammit, and nobody was going to take that away from him.

* * *

Shintaro, as he walked with Moka and Mizore, was thinking about what he was going to tell Topper and Kaze. Kaze, of course, would be proud of him for hooking up with two beautiful girls. However, Shintaro wanted to know if Topper knew the nature of Youkai Academy from the start. The man, for as long as he knew him, would often speak in riddles and Shintaro would have to figure out what exactly he was thinking or what he meant when he said anything. It made living with the Liquers awkward but they were his family as far as he was concerned. Since he had no idea if he had any living family, he had pretty much adopted them.

He then looked at Moka and Mizore. The two girls were sweet. Mizore, of course, seemed cold but she had a lovely smile. He just thought she was a bit shy. Moka, on the other hand, had been hurt before and wanted a friend. Well, if she would allow it, he'd be that friend. After all, he was human...sort of. He had not been offended by her admittance of hatred towards humans. He understood why she felt that way.

He'd show her that not all humans were bad.

"Well, what do we have here?" Saizou asked as he stepped out from behind a tree.

"Komiya..." Shintaro's eyes narrowed. "Here to pick another fight?"

"You little shit! You humiliated me in front of the entire school, dammit!" Saizou roared.

"You deserved it," countered Shintaro.

"Well, now _you're_ going to get what _you _deserve!" Saizou shot back. He then began to change right before their eyes. His body began to expand until his clothes, save for his pants, were shredded. His shoes also couldn't contain his transformation. His nails grew into claws, his hair became wilder, and Saizou's face became more monstrous as his teeth became razor sharp. Some bony growths also emerged from his chest, his forearms, shins and he also had spikes protruding from his spine and shoulders. Finally, his tongue snaked out of his mouth. Shintaro was taken aback by the transformation.

"An orc," Moka identified.

"Really? I thought he was an ogre," Mizore retorted.

The orc, Saizou, roared, and charged towards the three of them. Acting on instinct, Shintaro pushed the two girls away before he got bulldozed by Saizou. The impact tore open his shirt and sent him flying through the air before slamming violently into a tree. Shintaro groaned, sore and in pain. He might've gotten a concussion too.

"Shintaro-kun! Shintaro!" Moka and Mizore cried out as they ran towards him.

"SEE THAT!? THAT'S THE POWER OF AN ORC!" boasted Saizou. "NOW, MOKA AKASHIYA, MIZORE SHIRAYUKI! BECOME MY PETS!"

"No!" Mizore protested and blasted Saizou backwards with a snowstorm from her hands. He was sent stumbling back by the attack. Shintaro stared at Mizore and she smiled.

"I'm a yuki-onna," she answered. Well, that explained her low body temperature and the chill he felt coming off her.

"Shintaro-kun, are you alright?" Moka asked.

"I'm fine, Moka-chan," said Shintaro as he reached for something to help him up. However, his hand got caught on Moka's cross and it snapped right off the chain, much to her surprise.

"You...broke the seal..." said Moka. Shintaro stared at the cross in his hand and then at Moka. He recalled what Moka had told them about what would happen when her seal was removed.

Saizou was making his way towards them when Moka started to change. A crimson aura erupted from her body, causing her hair to stand on ends.

Her pink hair was turning silver right before their eyes. Her skin seemed to become paler as the power continued to flow. The nails on her fingers became slightly pointed, looking like they could cut things. Her fangs became more pronounced while her eyes turned crimson and slitted. Also, her proportions began to fill out. Shintaro and Mizore could only stare at Moka after her transformation. She looked radically different, almost like a different person. She looked…more sensual, than before. She exuded a kind of sexuality that would make men drop to their knees, but Shintaro could feel the danger which was underneath it. This girl was dangerous!

"Crimson eyes, silver hair and a powerful demonic aura," Mizore listed in awe. "She's an S-Class monster, the vampire!"

"So, you're the one who removed the seal," Inner Moka stated to Shintaro who could only nod dumbly in response. "While it was brave for you to protect my other self, it was also foolish to put yourself in harm's way against a much superior opponent. You should know your place."

"He was trying to protect us," Mizore countered and Inner Moka glared at the yuki onna.

"Which is why I must repay the debt," said Inner Moka before casting a glare towards the orc Saizou, "By showing this brute his place." She walked towards Saizou who was shivering in fear and anticipation. Inner Moka was frightening, but also hot as hell. His hormones got the best of him and made the decision for him as he lunged towards her. However, her foot met his jaw and sent him flying, crashing through several trees. Saizou went tumbling before rolling to a stop on his back, in pain. His jaw was probably broken! Fortunately, he would able to heal from it.

"Wow, what a kick," said Shintaro in amazement.

"What's the matter?" taunted Inner Moka, "Didn't you want to make me yours? Why don't you come over and try and give me a hug?" She scoffed, "How pathetic." She cracked her knuckles. Shintaro and Mizore had both followed Inner Moka to where Saizou had landed to see her finish the orc off. It was Shintaro's idea and Mizore had protested, but he wanted-needed to see this.

"Now, time to show you your place," said Inner Moka as she began to make her way towards Saizou to finish him off. The orc was stunned by the earlier kick and now Inner Moka was going to kill. However, luck would be on his side as it started to rain. They would get wet, and probably catch a cold. It wouldn't be much of a problem. Unfortunately, for Inner Moka, the rain was a huge problem for her. As soon as the rain came down, Inner Moka felt her strength being sapped. She collapsed to her knees as what appeared to be electricity arched around her.

Saizou, seeing this, reset his jaw and started to laugh, "AHAHAHAHA! An S-Class monster, the vampire, taken down by water!? What a joke!"

"Water?" Shintaro asked. "The water's weakening Moka-chan?"

"It's a vampire's weakness," Mizore informed Shintaro. "Right now, not only is she being weakened, but paralyzed too. Now, Saizou is going to kill her."

"Mizore-chan, you need to help her," Shintaro pleaded. "Please!"

"...I will," she said. "For you." She then dashed ahead to fight Saizou. Meanwhile, the orc was making his way to Inner Moka, who was glaring at him defiantly, in spite of the pain.

"I am going to have my fun with you," he described, "I'm going to screw you in all your holes, make you beg for more, and then I'm going to kill you and eat you up." He then raised up his clawed hand. "Now, Moka! Time for some payback!" However, before he could bring down his claw, his body was frozen in ice. "WHAT!?"

"What?" Inner Moka looked to see that it was Mizore who had covered Saizou in ice. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm helping you," answered Mizore.

"I don't need your help," Inner Moka hissed in protest.

"I'm not doing it for you," Mizore retorted. "I'm doing it for Shintaro. I don't understand why, but he wants to save you, and I don't want to upset him."

"Why?" Inner Moka asked.

"That's what friends do for each other, I guess. Now, let's get you out of this rain quickly," Mizore told her. Inner Moka wanted to protest but her legs were weak, unable to carry her weight. Mizore put one arm across Inner Moka's back and then slung one of Inner Moka's arms across her shoulders. She then helped Inner Moka up to her feet to find some form of shelter or cover before Saizou broke free. That would not be long as cracks began to spread along the surface of the ice that had Saizou trapped. A growl could be heard within the ice as his eyes turned red and demonic.

"Moka-chan, are you OK?" Shintaro asked as Mizore carried her over.

"Don't speak to me so familiarly," warned Inner Moka. "I'm not sentimental like my other self."

"Your other self," Shintaro repeated. "I see." There was a loud roar in the distance and Shintaro paled. "Oh no..."

"He gotten himself free, sooner than expected," Mizore frowned. "He's stronger than I thought."

"Shirayuki-san, get Moka-chan out of here," Shintaro said to the yuki-onna. "I'll hold him off and buy you time."

"But you'll be killed," Inner Moka said.

"Didn't know you cared," Shintaro smirked and she bristled. "Now, go! I'll distract him!" Inner Moka wanted to retort. Her pride would not allow lesser beings to help her. She also felt ashamed since she showed weakness before a weak opponent. However, she was slowly growing weaker and could not find the strength to make another protest.

At that moment, Shintaro heard a faint ticking and fumbled through his pockets. He then took out a silver pocket watch etched with 'XIII-A' on the surface. It was special to Shintaro as it was one of the first gifts Topper had given him. Also, with the watch came a piece of advice. He remembered it as clearly as the day when he had first received it.

* * *

_"If you are ever in danger, if it's a matter of life and death, open the pocket watch. It will save you. However, remember, once you've opened up Pandora's Box, it won't be so easy to close again," Topper advised._

* * *

Shintaro didn't know how a pocket watch was going to help save their lives, but considering the items in Topper's possession had unique properties, the watch perhaps had some kind of mechanism that would be able to protect them from Saizou.

"Well, it's now or never," he said and for the first time in like ever he opened up the pocket watch. The face of the watch glowed with a blue aura and then a beam of light shot straight into Shintaro's eyes. In that instant, a supply of images and information filled Shintaro's mind. There was just so much. Then, as quickly as he had opened it, Shintaro snapped the pocket watch shut. His eyes were narrowed with determination as he stood up.

"Time to get on stage," Shintaro announced.

* * *

Mizore and Inner Moka had both seen what had happened. The watch had done something to Shintaro. Something had changed within him. Despite being told to run, Mizore hadn't budged with Inner Moka. Instead, she used her ice powers to form cover to protect them from the rain. Like Shintaro had done earlier, the two girls remained rooted to the spot to watch what would happen.

Shintaro was walking towards Saizou who had broken out from Mizore's ice prison. He looked mad, enraged, with a sadistic grin on his face and bulging veins. He had to endure numerous humiliations. Now, the boy who had humiliated him earlier, was walking towards him.

"Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," said Saizou as he prepared to rip Shintaro's head off. Once he was done with Shintaro, he was going to show off his pieces to the girls to show them why they should've accepted his earlier offer. Unfortunately, that was not going to happen as Shintaro looked straight at Saizou. There was no fear, no hesitation, and no desire to back down reflected within those eyes.

Saizou, however, just saw his prey presenting himself to him. With his decision made, he went to strike Shintaro. However, a second before his claws reached Shintaro, a bright light erupted from Shintaro waist. The light also came with a shockwave that blew Saizou off his feet. Once more, the orc was sent flying and he crashed onto his back. Growling and grunting, Saizou sat up to see what had happened to Shintaro. His expression turned into one of shock as Shintaro now stood in a whole new form. That was when the sky cleared and rain stopped.

Shintaro was now clad in a suit of armor. Covering his entire body was a black bodysuit with an upturned collar, a green scarf wrapped in a circle around his neck, with matching black gloves and boots. Over this bodysuit he wore armor. The armor covering his torso was mainly black with a green chestplate which had plates that resembled pectorals and an additional plate on his stomach area which had multiple horizontal stripes running across it. On his shoulders were green pauldrons made up of overlapping green plates. Similar green armor plating was strapped to his forearms. He also sported green greaves on his shins and his boots also had steel toes at the tips. Staring back at Saizou was a pair of large, green compound eyes that were bisected by an X-shaped crest. The eyes and crest were mounted on a black helmet which had a silver stripe runned down the centre. In the centre of the crest was a green, rhombus-shaped stone. Set under the eyes, covering the lower half of his face, was a silver faceplate with three vertical stripes. Finally, around his waist was a silver belt with a green crystal sphere in the centre of the buckle.

The now armored Shintaro walked towards Saizou who was climbing to his feet. The orc roared and went to strike only for Shintaro to block the blow. Sparks scraped off Shintaro's forearm but he was not harmed in the slightest. Saizou continued to land strike after strike, only for them to be blocked. Finally, Shintaro blurred out of sight, causing Saizou to stumbled. Saizou had no clue what had happened but just as Shintaro reappeared behind him, with his back facing the orc's, Saizou's chest erupted in blood which splattered the ground. There were multiple deep cuts across the orcs chest as he hollered in pain. Said blood was also dripping from Shintaro's gloved hands.

"What...WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU!?" screamed Saizou as he whirled around to face Shintaro.

"Ore wa...Kai," Shintaro named his new form. He concluded, "Now, Time's Up for you." The now dubbed 'Kai' flicked the blood off his gloves and turned to face Saizou. Saizou went to charge but then all of a sudden he just froze. Under Saizou's feet was a glowing magic circle in the shape of a clock's face, and it wasn't moving. Saizou had just been frozen. A similar magic circle appeared under Kai's feet. He then leapt into the air before a series of clock face-like magic circles lined up and positioned themselves between himself and his opponent, forming a path. He then flew through the tunnel of circles, his body spinning and being filled with power.

'_**Chrono Drill Kick!**_' he called in his mind.

Falling like meteor, the drill kick smashed into Saizou's chest with explosive force, sending Saizou flying through the air. His screams could be heard before he was out of sight in seconds. Landing on his feet, Kai was just satisfied that he had dealt with the orc. He then turned went back to see the girls. Speaking of the girls, they had just witnessed the whole thing. Inner Moka's eyes were narrowed at Kai who looked back at her.

"I think this is yours," said Kai as he knelt down and handed Inner Moka her cross.

"Shintaro Mido," she spoke evenly, but there was definitely a threat and a demand laced with her words, "Who or what are you?" Kai reached up to his helmet and removed the faceplate which snapped off before he slid the helmet off his head. He shook his head, his twin ahoge springing up.

He then looked at Moka and Mizore before giving his answer, "I don't know." He took out the pocket watch and gazed at it intently, "But I intend to find out."

* * *

Meanwhile, in an undisclosed location, multiple monitoring screens came online. They all showed what appeared to be a map of the world and there was a blip on each map, pinpointing something like a beacon. A man was watching the screens and he smiled widely, "So he has returned...Kuro-no-Shinigami."

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Well, that's Chapter 1 of my new story. Now, if you remember Showa+Vampire, then you can see that this is similar to that story, but I decided to work on it solo. So, there won't be too many characters spreading my focus. Also, I made some choice alterations in the storyline, like an earlier meeting with Mizore, causing some tension between the two girls who have developed crushes on our protagonist. Speaking of our protagonist, what exactly is he? Why can't he remember? What did that pocket watch do? And why is he living with Topper Liquer? Now, speaking of Topper, if you don't know who he is, then check out my other works. He's been known to appear. Anyway, I hope I made a good first chapter/pilot for you all to enjoy. This is just the beginning, but let's just say that from here on end, a lot of new information will emerge, gradually. Shintaro's now on the first step of finding out his true identity. But first, he needs to explain himself and make a call to Topper. As for the Shintaro's Rider form, well I took elements from the original "Kamen Rider Showa" and "Kamen Rider X Green Lantern" stories.**


	2. The Twin Blades

**Chapter 2: The Twin Blades**

"You don't know?" repeated Inner Moka. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"That's exactly what I mean," Shintaro replied. "I don't know what I am."

"How can you not know what you are?" she demanded. He was frustrating her and not giving her a clear answer.

"I wasn't lying when I said I have no memories before six months ago," Shintaro reminded. "I have no recollection of my life before that time, but I've had these abilities since I can remember." He then added, "And speaking of which, how are you feeling? Did the rain hurt you?" It wounded Inner Moka's vampiric pride to be asked that. It wasn't something she would vocally admit. However, her body still felt weak from the rain and she gave a nod. "Alright, hold still." He knelt down and took Inner Moka's free hand.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. How dare he touch her?

"The same thing I did to fix your bike. Now, relax. This might tingle," Shintaro told her before he activated his power. A green glow surrounded the two of them and Inner Moka felt her strength returning to her. As the glow faded, she stared at Shintaro in bewilderment. "That ability is what sets me apart from humans." They all stood up together afterwards.

"Then are you a monster?" Mizore asked.

"I'm not even that," said Shintaro.

"So how did you transform?" Inner Moka asked.

"This told me how," said Shintaro as he showed the two girls his pocket watch. "My guardian told me that if I was in any sort of life or death emergency, I should open it. Luckily for us, it did and it showed me what to do."

"A pocket watch?" Inner Moka gazed at the item skeptically.

"That's right," said Shintaro as he pocketed his pocket watch. "Now, I need to make a phone call. Moka-chan, can you and Shirayuki-san go back to your dorms."

"I can," said Inner Moka. "Also, honor demands that I owe you a debt for protecting my other self. Keep up the good work, Mido." She hooked the cross back to her choker. Slowly, the demonic aura began to fade and weaken as her hair turned back to pink. She collapsed forward but Shintaro caught her before she fell to the ground.

"I'm guessing changing like that exhausts you," guessed Shintaro. Moka looked up at him and smiled.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

"It's alright. It's what I do for friends," he said. The temperature began to drop and he shivered. He looked at Mizore who had a cold look in her eyes. He then said, "Shirayuki-san, thank you for protecting Moka-chan too. I owe you." Slowly, Mizore smiled as the temperature stopped dropping.

"I did it for you, Shintaro," she said. "And please, call me Mizore."

"Mizore-chan then," he smiled and she blushed at being addressed so intimately.

* * *

**One Week Later...**

Shintaro stepped out of the dorm building and saw Mizore and Moka waiting for him. "Were you girls waiting long?" he asked.

"No," Moka and Mizore answered at the same before shooting each other looks.

"Come on, let's go to school," said Moka and the three of them walked together to school. It had been a week since the confrontation with Saizou and the orc hadn't been seen since. Rumors then started to spread about how and why Saizou had left. Officially, Saizou had to be sent home to recover from him injuries. According to rumors, though, he had been beaten up by someone much stronger and most assumed it to be Shintaro since he had stood up to the orc earlier that day. There were also rumors of a vampire being among them as nobody could ignore the surge of demonic aura that day.

Last week, Shintaro had also called home and asked Topper about Youkai Academy. It turned out that the man had known that Youkai Academy was a school for monsters. He had sent Shintaro there to learn how to fit in and to make friends. Shintaro wondered if Topper had been thinking clearly when he had sent that application for Shintaro to attend a school that had students and staff that were actually monsters. However, Topper assumption had been slightly correct. He had made friends. Kaze had been interested too and Shintaro told his friend that his two new friends were girls. Kaze immediately begged for pictures he could appraise. That was when he asked to speak with Topper again and ask about his pocket watch.

Topper had only told Shintaro that the pocket watch was something Shintaro needed to decide his own destiny. That statement caused Shintaro to become frustrated. His guardian was always so cryptic and speaking in riddles. However, said pocket watch had saved their lives. If Shintaro hadn't opened it, he wouldn't have learnt of his ability to transform. Although, the pocket watch still didn't tell him what he was and since that day Shintaro hadn't been able to open it again.

Guess he would need to wait for another life or death situation to present itself. Considering the nature of the school, that may come sooner rather than later.

* * *

It was lunchtime and as Shintaro exited the classroom, he came across a scene that made him stop to observe. Three male students who only wore the uniforms shirts and slacks were standing threateningly before a little girl who was dressed like a witch. She had on a dark cape and tall hat. Her uniform was different, made up of a pink top and matching corset. She wore the standard skirt for girls with thigh high white stockings. Her bowtie was yellow. She was also cute with violet eyes and chin length brown-black hair in a bob cut. She appeared to be crying and he could hear the mean things they were calling her.

Many things offended Shintaro, and the sight of a little girl being bullied by those older than her was one of those things. That, and pears. He hated pears. Damn fruit was too sour for his taste.

He had to intervene.

"Excuse me, but what's going on here?" Shintaro demanded. The leader of the trio, who wore a black band on his left arm, turned to glare at Shintaro.

"None of your business. We're just teaching this little brat a lesson in respect," he told them.

"I think she's had enough," Shintaro countered. "You should leave her alone."

"Who the hell are you?" the leader questioned.

"Shintaro Mido," Shintaro answered. "And you?"

"Tadashi Wanibuchi," he retorted.

"OK, now that we know each other, how about you now just go, Wanibuchi-san? It's not nice to make little girls cry," Shintaro said. Wanibuchi glared at Shintaro and the latter countered with his own glare. The two of them continued to glare at each other but then Wanibuchi started to sweat nervously before he turned away with a click of his tongue.

"Fine, whatever," scoffed Wanibuchi before he and his two followers walked away.

"Hmph, they'll make anyone Class Rep nowadays, it seems," Shintaro remarked in disapproval. He then turned to address the little girl in witch's attire. "Are you OK?"

"They broke my wand," she said and she showed him her wand. It was a stick that was topped with a heart and holding a star in the centre. The stick had been broken in half.

"Let me see," Shintaro offered. She looked up at him and he smiled at her. He waved his hand over the wand and the two broken halves miraculously joined back together. "See? Good as new!" Yukari's eyes widened in surprise.

"Thank you!" she hugged him tight around the waist. "Thank you! Thank you! I wouldn't have been able to do magic without it!"

"It's no problem," he said, patting her shoulder. "By the way, I never got your name."

"It's Yukari Sendou," she said.

"And why are you doing in Youkai Academy?" he asked. "I mean, how old are you? Or are you just short for your age?"

"I'm 11 and a half!" she retorted, "And I got in because I'm a _genius_!"

So, she had skipped a few grades. "Well, Yukari-chan, how about you join me and my friends for lunch?" he invited. "I'll even treat you to lunch."

"Really?" Yukari beamed. "Thank you!" She hugged him again.

* * *

The table, occupied by Shintaro, Mizore, Moka and now Yukari seemed to have a tense atmosphere. It was because Yukari was seated close next to Shintaro, affectionately hugging his arm.

"Shintaro-kun, who is this and why is she hugging you like that?" asked Moka.

"Can I get rid of her?" Mizore suggested icily.

"Don't do that, Mizore-chan," Shintaro said. He wasn't sure if Mizore was either kidding or serious, but he'd rather not risk it. "Her name's Yukari-chan and I helped her to deal with some bullies earlier," answered Shintaro.

"He saved me!" Yukari added.

"She's just exaggerating," Shintaro dismissed. "She was in trouble and I decided to help."

"He also fixed my wand!"

"Yeah, I did that too," Shintaro admitted. "Um, Yukari-chan, could you release my arm? I kinda need it to eat." Yukari blushed in embarrassment and released Shintaro's arm. He started to roll his shoulder to get the stiffness out. "Ah..." he sighed, "Much better."

"He fixed your wand?" Mizore asked, "So, you're a witch then."

"I think it would be obvious from how she's dressed," Shintaro pointed out. He said to Yukari, "It's kinda cute, like a Mahou Shoujo cosplay." Yukari blushed and giggled at the praise.

"And you're a wizard," she stated. Shintaro blinked.

"Me? A wizard?" he asked.

"That's how you fixed my wand," she stated. "Although, you cast wandless magic. I've heard of it, but never seen it."

"That's not...well..." Shintaro stumbled with his words. Yukari thought his abilities were magic? Looking at it from one angle, his ability to fix Moka's bicycle and Yukari's wand like that could be seen as magic. Shintaro wasn't sure if his powers were magically based. All he knew was that he could control time, to some extent. It did allow him to fix a few things while living with Topper and Kaze. "How about we just eat our lunch and get to know each other better?" he suggested to try to quell the tension.

* * *

Meanwhile, Wanibuchi was in the back of the school building, angrily complaining, "That bastard! How dare he defend that little witch!? She's just a bratty rule-breaker who doesn't know her place!"

"But boss, are you sure we can take him? He did beat Saizou," one of his two friends said. Wanibuchi had heard the rumor and scoffed.

"Just a rumor! I don't believe a word of it!" dismissed Wanibuchi. However, he would not admit that he had been intimidated by Shintaro earlier. During the staredown, he'd been forced to surrender. Shintaro's eyes were those that belonged to a cold-blooded killer. He punched his open palm. "I wanna teach him and that brat a lesson! It's against the rules to go against a superior student!"

"Excuse me, gentlemen? May I have a word?" The three male students looked to see someone approaching them. He was dressed in an immaculate white suit, even his necktie was white, with a white lab coat thrown over his ensemble. He wore a black shoes, a white fedora with a black band around it, and also wore black sunglasses. He had platinum blonde hair that was cut short and he had a pleasant smile on his face.

"What do you want?" one of Wanibuchi's friends asked.

"You don't look like a student here. Who are you?" Wanibuchi demanded.

"Just someone passing through," the Man in White answered.

"Trespassing is against the rules," warned Wanibuchi. "You're going to need to punished." Actually, Wanibuchi wanted to take his anger out on someone on the pretense of enforcing the rules.

"Well then," the Man in White said, the smile never leaving his face, "Come at me, and please shed those disguises. They really don't match your true nature." Wanibuchi complied. Even though assuming their true forms was against the rules, right now he really didn't care. Nobody else was around to see them or to report what they were doing, and all Wanibuchi was doing was showing a trespasser why they should follow the rules. In an instant, their skin turned green and scaly and they turned into more lizard-like creatures with sharp teeth, claws, and frightening yellow eyes. The Man in White, instead of being intimidated, just grinned.

"Fascinating," he said before the three lizardmen lunged at him.

* * *

Shintaro went to take a walk and get some fresh air, on his own, leaving the girls to their own devices. As much as he liked to hang out with his friends, he sometimes needed some alone time. The school had a beautiful garden in the courtyard and sometimes Shintaro couldn't help but marvel at its splendor. Sometimes, he would just sit under a tree and take a nap.

Suddenly, his musings were interrupted when he heard a groan. He spotted a girl in the middle of the indoor pathway, on her hands and knees. From his current vantage point he could see that she wore a variant of the girls' uniform. She wore white blouse with a yellow sweater vest, the same skirt as the other girls and had blue hair tied up in a ponytail with a purple ribbon.

Not one to ignore someone in trouble, Shintaro went to ask if she needed any help.

"Miss? Excuse me? Are you OK?" Shintaro asked and the girl looked up at him. He was suddenly taken aback as her face seemingly sparkled. '_Wow, she's gorgeous!_' He recomposed himself and lent his hand to her. "Let me help you up." She took his hand and he helped her up to her feet, only for her to end up leaning against him, her breasts pressing up against his chest. Shintaro couldn't help but feel the softness of her breasts. Not only were they big, but they also felt soft.

"Thank you," she said softly. "You're too kind."

"What's wrong?" he said.

"It's my chest," she said. "It hurts." Shintaro gulped a bit.

"I would've thought you might have a sore back instead," he remarked absently. "Sorry," he apologized. "I'm Shintaro Mido."

"Kurumu Kurono," she introduced herself.

"I know. You're in my class," he said. Her eyes widened at that.

"Really? I thought you didn't notice me," she said.

"Well, how could I not?" he questioned.

"Well, you're always hanging out with Moka Akashiya," said Kurumu. She didn't mention Mizore.

"So, do you need my help to get to the infirmary?" asked Shintaro.

"Actually, could you look into my eyes?" she asked. Their eyes met and all of a sudden Shintaro's brain throbbed painfully. He released Kurumu and started to scream in agony, clutching his head. Kurumu was taken aback, shocked by what had occurred.

He continued to scream, collapsing to his knees, shouting,"STOP! MAKE IT STOP! MY BRAIN! IT HURTS! STOP!" Tears were streaming from his eyes. "I'M SORRY! I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE, JUST MAKE IT STOP!" Kurumu didn't know what to do. She was frozen in shock. But then, she was knocked out as a wash basin appeared out of thin air and fell on her head. After that, she was suddenly encased in a block of ice.

"Shintaro-kun!" Moka cried as she ran towards her friend, with Mizore and Yukari behind her. The boy was on the ground, clutching his head, and screaming in pain.

"IT HURTS! PLEASE, JUST MAKE IT STOP! I'M SORRY! JUST PLEASE, MAKE THE PAIN STOP!" he screamed hysterically.

"What's happening to him?" Yukari asked in panic.

"I don't know," said Moka. "Shintaro, calm down, please! We're here! Nobody's going to hurt you!" He continued to thrash on the ground, hysterically, and his pocket watch fell out from his pocket. Moka picked it up. The pocket watch suddenly snapped open and the blue glow came out in the form of bluish, sparkling powder that flew towards Shintaro. The sparkling powder then went up his nose and slowly he started to relax before slowly falling into blissful unconsciousness. "Shintaro-kun," she said as the pocket watch closed by itself.

"This girl must've done something to him," Mizore accused, pointing to the frozen Kurumu.

"Let's punish her!" urged Yukari.

"No, let's take her with Shintaro to the infirmary," said Moka. "Could someone help pick him up?"

"Allow me!" offered Yukari and she waved her wand. Shintaro levitated off the ground. "OK, let's go to the infirmary." Mizore then showed off the strength and lifted up the frozen Kurumu onto her back to carry her with them.

"Aren't you going to thaw her out?" Moka asked. Mizore just gave her a look that indicated that she did not intend to unfreeze Kurumu just yet. Moka sighed and together the group headed to the infirmary.

* * *

The mysterious figure stood before the three unconscious lizardmen who were sprawled on the ground. "Well, it looks like you three could use an upgrade." He reached into his white coat and pulled out what appeared to be a computer. However, unlike conventional computer chips, it had wires that writhed about like living tendrils. "Just stay still. This won't hurt...much." He placed the chip on Wanibuchi's head and the tendril-like wires began to dig into his flesh and he screamed. The tendrils then stretched out and shot into the arms of his two friends who started screaming in agony along with their leader. The figure then stepped back to watch with a grin on his face.

"Well, Kuro-no-Shinigami. I wonder how you will handle Freaks made from your own schoolmates," he mused out loud.

* * *

Shintaro was placed in an infirmary bed. As for Kurumu, she was sitting in a chair, shivering. Mizore was convinced by Moka to let her out of the ice to explain herself. Kurumu felt horrible. She was sneezing, her body was shivering, and her teeth were chattering. Moka, Mizore and Yukari were confronting the girl for what she had done to Shintaro.

"What did you do to Shintaro-kun?" demanded Moka.

"And why were you trying to hurt him?" added Mizore.

"I wasn't trying to hurt him!" Kurumu protested.

"That isn't what it looked like," Yukari shot back, pointing her wand at Kurumu's face. "He was screaming in agony! Now, answer! What did you do to Mido-san!?"

"I was..." Kurumu glared at Moka, "This is all your fault."

"What? Me?" Moka pointed to herself.

"Yeah, you! I wouldn't have had to do that to him if it weren't for you!" Kurumu snapped.

"Why are you accusing me of anything?" Moka questioned.

"It's because all the boys fawn over you!" Kurumu snapped, "Don't act like you don't notice! You're the No. 1 most beautiful girl among the first years!"

"Well, actually, I don't really think so..." Moka weakly denied.

"Well, it's true. Always the boys are talking about you, and not me! I mean, look at me!" Kurumu stood up and showed off herself, "Look at my curves! My big breasts! I'm every boy's sexual fantasy!" She then pointed at Moka, "But the boys just end up falling head over heels for you! And you don't even have to do anything but smile and look pretty!"

"So, why were you trying to hurt Shintaro then? To get back at Moka for taking the boys' attention away from you?" Mizore asked accusingly.

"I wasn't trying to hurt him! I was trying to seduce him!" Kurumu shouted.

"That's even worse," said Mizore as her hands turned into claws made of ice.

"Mizore-chan, stop!" Moka exclaimed. Mizore looked at Moka then backed off. Moka knew Shintaro didn't want to see anyone hurt if he could help it. She addressed Kurumu, "Seduce him? How?"

"...I'm a succubus," admitted Kurumu, "I was using my Charm on him. Normally, a succubus' Charm would cause males to be enslaved by them. However, mine caused _that_." She pointed at Shintaro.

"And that's not supposed to happen," guessed Yukari.

"Exactly, that's not supposed to happen," Kurumu confirmed. "One moment I was casting my Charm, and then he starts screaming bloody murder and I don't know why." She then asked, "How did you manage to get him to stop?" Moka was about to answer when they suddenly heard a series of screams coming from outside the infirmary.

"What's that!?" Yukari cried.

"That can't be good," said Mizore.

* * *

The hallway was filled with chaos as students tried to flee from danger. A fleeing male student was grabbed by the back of his blazer and violently. A girl straggling was grabbed and then stripped to her underwear by the assailant. Said assailant was a monster that none of the students had ever seen.

It was humanoid and stood at eight feet tall, with a muscular body full of power, and covered in green scales. He had a long and thick tail that was segmented with spikes surrounding a ball at the tip. Similar spikes jutted out of the shoulder blades. It also had the head of a lizard an additional head on each shoulder. Its eyes were also glowing yellow with madness and it let loose a roar as it continued to attack the students that it could get its claws on.

It was a beast called the Lizard Freak and right now it was on a terrible rampage.

Mizore, Moka, Kurumu and Yukari exited the hallway to see what was going on. They were on the second floor and they saw the Lizard Freak rampaging all over the hallway, beating up male students and ripping to shreds the clothes of the female students.

"What is that hideous thing?" Kurumu questioned.

"I don't know, but it has to be stopped," said Moka.

"Allow me," Mizore volunteered. Since Shintaro was unconscious, he wouldn't be able to do much and with Moka sealed, she didn't have the kind of power they needed.

"I'll help too!" volunteered Yukari.

"No, Yukari-chan! It's dangerous!" Moka protested but the witch stubbornly ran past Moka to follow Mizore and face the rampaging Lizard Freak in the middle of the hallway.

Yukari and Mizore went down to the hallway which was now empty as the Lizard Freak had chased the students away. Yukari gripped her wand tightly as Mizore brandished her ice claws. With a wave of her arm, Mizore conjured spikes of ice and hurled them at the Lizard Freak. However, with a swipe of its arm, the Lizard Freak smashed the ice spikes to pieces. Yukari cast a spell and started hurling random objects in the Lizard Freak's direction, but it swiped them away with ease. With a roar, it charged at the two girls like a mad beast. Suddenly, Kurumu swooped in. Bat-like wings spread out from her back and a tail with a spade-tip hung from her rear.

"What are you doing!?" Mizore cried.

"What a succubus is good at!" Kurumu exclaimed and eyes shone as she cast her Charm on the Lizard Freak. Her eyes met its and it froze. "Yatta! It worked!" However, her celebration came prematurely as the Lizard Freak spun and smashed its thick tail into Kurumu, sending her crashing into the wall. It then swiped at Mizore and sent her skidding along the floor and roared at Yukari, causing the little witch to scramble away in panic. The lizard-like Freak started moving towards Kurumu. Her entire body ached from the impact. A shadow fell over her and she stared up in horror as the three-headed lizard Lizard Freak loomed over her. Saliva dripped from its mouths as it licked its lips. Kurumu trembled, petrified, as she stared up at the Freak before her. It raised its clawed hand and brought it down. Reflexively, Kurumu shut her eyes. The impact came, but she was not the target.

She opened her eyes and saw, with his back facing her, was Shintaro Mido. Her eyes went wide as he gripped the Lizard Freak's wrists, protecting her.

"Run!" he shouted at her.

"What...?" she uttered.

"I said run!" he repeated himself as he turned to look at her. "Go and run!"

"I can't!" she protested. Her legs wouldn't obey her. Shintaro gritted his teeth and glared at the Lizard Freak whose three sets of eyes glared at him.

"Then I just have to take care of this now!" A metal belt materialized around Shintaro's waist. The buckle was closed but that wouldn't be for too long. He then uttered one single word which would cause a transformation, "Hen...shin!" The belt buckle snapped open, exposing the crystal sphere hidden inside. It unleashed a bright green flash. The lizard-like Freak roared as the light got in its eyes, blinding it. The energy then blew the Lizard Freak away, knocking it right off its feet and into the air before it landed with a crash.

Once the light faded, Shintaro was clad in his black and green armor. Kurumu and Yukari were stupefied by the sight of the armor as Shintaro-now Kai stood proudly to face the three-headed reptilian Freak. The Lizard Freak, at the sight of Kai, let loose a roar and charged at him. It swiped its claws at him but Kai blocked the strike with his forearm before retaliating with a punch to its stomach. He then performed a series of roundhouse kicks, aimed at the main head, sending the Freak staggering. The Freak recovered and tried to grab Kai but Kai grabbed it first in a bearhug. Unfortunately, that would be a mistake.

The heads on the Lizard Freak's shoulders snapped their jaws and bit down on Kai's shoulders. He let out a shout of pain as the razor sharp teeth tried to dig their way into his pauldrons. He tried to pull away, but the teeth were clenched tight and now Kai was at its mercy. The Freak continued to try and chew through Kai's armor, forcing him to his knees. He tried to endure the pain.

Meanwhile, Moka came down to help Kurumu up. "Are you OK?" Moka asked.

"Is that...is that Mido?" Kurumu pointed at the armored figure fighting the three-headed Lizard Freak. Moka gave a nod. "What is he?" Moka couldn't come up with an answer. Now even Shintaro could've come up with one when her Inner Self had asked.

Back at the fight, Kai could feel the pain increasing. He needed a way out of this! He needed a weapon! Fortunately, his prayers were answered as light shone from his hands, taking shape. He gripped the objects in his hands and realized what they were. He then thrust them forward into the Freak's gut. The Freak released Kai, howling in pain. The reason was that Kai had just stabbed it in the gut with a pair of swords. Kai withdrew the swords from the Lizard Freak, splashing crimson blood along the floor.

The twin swords were identical, without guards and the blades were made of green energy. The sword in his right hand had a blade that was three feet in length while the sword in his left hand had a blade half the length of its twin. Regardless of the difference in length, Kai wielded both swords in a reverse grip. Roaring, the Lizard Freak tried to strike with its tail but Kai dodged, leaping up into the air. He then dropped down and slashed the Freak across the chest. It roared in pain. Kai continued his assault, slashing the Freak again and again with his twin swords. He performed a backflip and then smashed his heel into the main head's chin, sending the Freak staggering backwards.

Kai then joined both swords, hilt end to hilt end. He then twirled the combined weapon around and around, the blades glowing brightly. Glaring at the weakening Lizard Freak, Kai then started to charge at it.

'_**Double Saber Slash!**_' he called in his mind. Once in range, he leapt up and landed two powerful slashes across its body before landing with his back facing it.

"Time's Up for you!" Kai declared.

"Kuro...no...Shinigami..." the Lizard Freak uttered as it pointed at Kai. Kai blinked. After that, the Freak exploded. Kai turned to face the flames and smoke and was surprised to see lying in the crater were none other than Wanibuchi and his two friends, all completely nude. The three of were severely injured, but the rise and fall of their chests indicated that they were alive. Kai also noticed something else. He leapt into the crater and picked it up. It was a damaged computer chip. Suddenly, it turned into dust in his hands.

"What was that?" Kai wondered.

"Shintaro-kun!" Moka cried and Kai turned to see Moka, Yukari, Mizore and Kurumu running towards him.

"Moka-chan," said Kai as he removed his helmet. "Mizore-chan, Yukari-chan, are you all OK?" He then noticed Kurumu. "Ah...who are you?"

"Kurumu Kurono," she answered, ashamed, "We met earlier when I tried to..."

"You gave me a headache," he remembered and she couldn't look him in the eye.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "That wasn't meant to happen. I didn't mean for it to happen."

"Well don't do it again," he said. She nodded.

"You saved me just now," she said. "After what I did, you still saved me. Why?"

"Why not?" he replied. Kurumu's eyes began to water and she cried before putting her arms around Shintaro. Yukari, Moka and Mizore just glared but their expressions softened. Kurumu was being sincere and remorseful. Meanwhile, the Man in White was observing the scene with interest. He then walked away without another word, unnoticed and unseen.

"Can I call you 'Shintaro'?" Kurumu asked. "You can call me Kurumu."

"I guess that's OK," said Shintaro.

"What are you, Shintaro?" Kurumu asked.

"Kamen Rider."

It was Yukari who had spoken. All eyes were on her.

"Kamen Rider?" Moka repeated.

"Me?" Shintaro asked. Yukari nodded.

"My Papa did research a while ago about an urban legend in the human world, about men in masks who fought monsters. He described them as resembling insects," said Yukari. "You look like a Kamen Rider, Mido-san."

"Kamen Rider, huh?" Shintaro considered Yukari's words. "I like that. Sounds great, Yukari-chan. Oh, and please call me Shintaro. We're all friends here, right?"

Kurumu's gaze was locked on Shintaro. Her mother had told her to find her Destined One, her Mate of Fate. Kurumu had asked her mother how she would ever find her Destined One, and her mother had told her that her Destined One would be the one to save her without being Charmed to do it. Looking at Shintaro, he fit the criteria. Even though she had tried to control him, he had come to her rescue.

She had found him, her Destined One.

* * *

**Author's Note: Well, whaddya think of this second action-packed chapter? As you can see, I've introduced Yukari much earlier than in canon. We're also introduced to the Man in White and his Freak Chips. I'll call the Kaijin 'Freaks' because they were made using Freak Chips. Oh, and the Freak Chips came from the first Hellsing anime. If you remember it, you know what I mean. Of course, the question is, what exactly are Freak Chips? Who made them? Why? And why did the Lizard Freak call Shintaro 'Kuro-no-Shinigami'? I guess we'll get those answers soon. Also, some of you might be wondering about the name of the Rider. 'Kai' is the pronunciation of the Greek letter 'X' that is spelled 'chi' but pronounced as 'kai'. If you don't believe me, you can go and check.**


	3. Golden Week

**Chapter 3: Golden Week**

"I am currently observing the target. The Freak which I had assigned to fight him had failed. I guess the subjects I chose to convert weren't strong enough. Yes, I said subjects. Three in fact. I only used one Freak Chip and it did the job of converting and bonding them together. Yes, I will continue to observe the target and exploit any weaknesses I may find," the Man in White said before ending the call. He frowned. "Looks like I'm on a tight schedule." He then looked at the school, "But so many subjects ready to be converted." He took out a Freak Chip from his pocket, the tendril-like wires writhing about in search for a host. "Settle down. I'll find you a host. Just be patient."

* * *

After several weeks it was the end of April, and the start of Golden Week. For the next seven days, the students would not need to attend school. That left them with plenty of free time, which the teachers filled with homework assignments. They still couldn't leave the school though, not without special permission, and were stuck within the barrier which surrounded Youkai Academy. As the final bell rang, a certain group of students were making plans. They were seated together in the empty classroom. Yukari, being a student from the neighbouring class, often came over to hang out with Shintaro. This day was no different.

"So, any plans for Golden Week?" Shintaro asked. "I mean, besides homework."

"Don't know," Moka said.

"I have a plan," grinned Kurumu as she leaned against Shintaro. "It involves you and I, in bed."

**CLONG!**

A wash basin crashed atop Kurumu's head and she growled at Yukari who scowled right back at the succubus.

"Back off, cow!" Yukari snapped.

"You little brat!" Kurumu shot back.

"Please, stop fighting!" pleaded Moka.

"Can I freeze them?" Mizore asked.

They had become friends, but sometimes they had trouble getting along when Shintaro was involved. He just gave a sigh. His guardian, Topper Liquer, had sent him to Youkai Academy to make friends and fit in. He was doing quite well in fact with both ventures. He had made friends, who were all girls, and got along well with his classmates and teachers. Still, he was unsure of what he was. The pocket watch was once again sealed and nothing had happened to warrant it needing to be opened.

Also, rumors about what he'd done against Wanibuchi and his friends spread all over school. They were calling him some kind of 'Insect-Man' monster. Considering the appearance of his armor, it was no surprise that they would come to that conclusion. Yukari, however, had called him a 'Kamen Rider'. Because of that, he started to do research on the subject. He learnt that the Kamen Riders had been around since the 70's and were considered nothing more than an urban myth. However, many people claimed to have met and been saved by them. The Kamen Riders were also known to fight against evil monsters and terrorist organizations.

That little bit about terrorist organizations made Shintaro wonder about the chip he'd found before it disintegrated. Someone had planted it on Wanibuchi and his friends which had turned them into a rampaging beast. Speaking of which, the three of them were in the campus hospital, recovering.

"Shintaro-kun, what are you going to do for Golden Week?" Moka asked.

"I guess spend my time in the library," he said. "There's a lot of books in there I haven't read."

"Reading?" Kurumu rolled her eyes. "That's just boring!"

"Of course you wouldn't appreciate a good book," Yukari retorted.

"For your information I subscribe to cookbooks to improve my baking skills," Kurumu defended. "Speaking of which, I made cookies for Shintaro." She put the basket on the desk. "Have one."

"They don't have a love potion in them, do they?" Shintaro asked. Kurumu had openly claimed him as her Destined One, a role she had described as him becoming her future husband. Mizore had been offended and a fight nearly broke out between the two girls, with Yukari egging them on and Moka trying to stop them. Fortunately, Shintaro had been able to stop their argument from escalating into bloodshed. They might be friends, but things got really tense when the girls starting fighting over him. He knew they liked him, but he had made it clear that he wasn't looking for a romantic relationship.

"No, of course not," Kurumu answered, "Why would you think that?"

"Oh, it's just a gut feeling," he said. "You know, I've never really shown you all my dorm room, have I?" This caused the four girls to lock their eyes on him instantly. It was like they were synchronized, which was creepy.

"You mean _we _get to see _your _room? All of it? Even the inside?" Kurumu asked excitedly.

"Well, we are friends. So, I think inviting friends over for some cookies and tea would be a good idea," he said.

"You want to have a tea party," stated Mizore.

"We have them all the time back at the pawn shop," Shintaro said. He had told them that he lived in a pawn shop with an eccentric man and his son. They had taken in him and for six months he had lived with them, helping them out around the house and shop to earn his keep. It also kept him occupied. In that shop he had learnt how to fix and appraise items they would collect from the customers that came in. At around 4:30 pm, they would close up for evening tea. Like a small tea party. Topper and Kaze enjoyed those very much and Shintaro enjoyed having cakes and cookies with his tea, especially the cakes and cookies.

"That sounds like a great idea," agreed Moka.

"Lead the way, darling," said Kurumu as she hooked her arms around his left arm. Mizore also hooked her arms around his right arm.

* * *

"Wow...you have...a lot of books," said Kurumu as she stared at the bookcase. Shintaro had invited them to his dorm room and they saw how he had personalized it. There was a large bookcase up against the wall filled with many thick books of various titles, organized alphabetically and based on genre.

"Well, I didn't have much to do but read," said Shintaro. They looked and saw he had a laptop on his desk with books standing between two bookends. He also had pictures hung up on the wall, all of him and two men. He had told them about his guardian and friends, so these two men must be them. "Let me go and get the tea set. Just make yourselves at home." He went into the kitchen to grab the items. The girls sat down on the rug on the floor and looked around. It wasn't exactly what they imagined.

"You know, I was actually expecting a punching bag or something," said Kurumu. She and the other girls had seen him fight and he seemed so good at it. She then looked at his bed and grinned. She grabbed the pillow and sniffed it.

"Kurumu-chan, what are you doing!?" Moka cried out.

"Just taking in his scent," said Kurumu. "Here, do you wanna try?" She offered the pillow, the pillow Shintaro put his head on, and Moka blushed. Oh, she wanted to take it. She really did. It was so tempting, but resisted. "Suit yourself." Mizore grabbed hold of it. "Huh?"

"Gimme," Mizore demanded.

"Girls, I think you should put that back before he comes back," Moka pleaded.

"Wow, look at all these books," said Yukari. "Some of these are so rare! I've even read a few!" She took one and stared at the text and blinked. "This one is in French."

"That was given to me by my friend, Kaze," said Shintaro as he came in with a tray and the tea set. It wasn't any old tea set, but a china tea set. He set the tray down gently. There was already tea in the pot judging from the steam that was wafting out of it. "He speaks fluent French and so can I."

"Really?" asked Moka. "Could you demonstrate?"

"Je suis tellement heureux d'être le thé avec cette belle entreprise," Shintaro said in French.

"What does that mean?" Mizore asked.

"I said that I feel glad to be having tea with such lovely company," Shintaro translated, causing them to blush. "Yeah, he likes to use French to charm girls. I honestly don't know how well it works." He started filling the cups with tea before passing them to the girls.

"Can you speak any other languages?" Moka asked. Shintaro nodded. "That's amazing."

"Considering the numerous customers we get, I had to learn to speak different languages. Made things easier," said Shintaro. He was multilingual, which was no lie. It was a convenient skill to have.

"Is it really that interesting, working in a pawn shop?" Yukari asked.

"Trust me, Yukari-chan. Interesting is an understatement. Sometimes, it can get downright weird. Customers come in, wanting to trade for strange items, or they brought in strange items to sell, or even coming in to buy strange items," said Shintaro. "The items we get are always random. Sometimes they can be worthless, and sometimes they can be worth a ton of cash. It all depends on how we appraise them."

"What's the strangest thing you had to appraise?" Mizore asked.

"A skull covered in gold, jewels and gems," Shintaro answered. They gawked at him. "I kid you not. Some guy came in wanting to sell it to us. Claimed it was cursed. Topper appraised it and gave the man his money. We still have the skull last time I checked."

"Was it really cursed?" Moka asked worriedly. Shintaro shrugged.

"Who knows? At least it's pretty to look at, not like the mummy's hand we have stashed in the back," said Shintaro.

"A mummy's hand?" the girls repeated.

"Weird story, but it was said to be part of a whole mummy of some unknown Egyptian King. Grave robbers each took a piece but then tragedy and misfortune fell upon them and their families," Shintaro told him. "The guy came in with the hand, wanting to get rid of it. We took it and he didn't even stick around for his money. He just left. We still have that thing inside a box."

"But if it's cursed...then isn't that bad for business?" Yukari asked.

"If it was, I'm sure Topper and Kaze have it handled. They're experts at dealing with those kind of things," shrugged Shintaro. "And the business is still doing well, last I heard, but with me gone they needed to hire help. According to them, nobody ever stayed longer for a week." He took a sip of tea. The girls took a moment to take this in.

"I actually have an idea of what we can do for Golden Week," said Moka shyly.

"You do?" Shintaro asked as he sipped his tea.

"Shintaro-kun, would you like to go on a date with me?" Moka asked. Shintaro, shocked, choked on his tea and coughed.

"W-w-what!?" Shintaro exclaimed.

"Moka, how dare you!?" Kurumu snapped, outraged.

"He's mine," Mizore reminded, coldly.

"No, he's mine!" defended Yukari.

"And I told you I wasn't interested in a romantic relationship," concluded Shintaro.

"But you haven't tried dating anyone," Moka countered. She looked to the girls, "And actually, it won't be just me. You all can get a chance too." This caused the other three girls to be caught by surprise before they beamed brightly.

"Don't I have a say in this?" Shintaro asked. "I mean, if I'm going to be taking girls on dates, I should be asking them."

"Does that mean you'll accept?" Moka asked hopefully.

"Well...since there's nothing else to do...why not?" Shintaro replied shyly and hesitantly. However, the more he thought about going out on a date with Moka, the more he found the idea appealing. However, what would this mean for their group of friends? He didn't want to ruin their friendship but he was also interested in dating. He looked to Mizore, Kurumu and Yukari and sighed. They were looking forward to it. "OK, but if we're going to do this, we need to set up a schedule."

* * *

"Thank you for inviting us," said Moka as she and the girls stood outside Shintaro's dorm room. "The tea was delicious."

"Thank you," he said. "Well, goodnight, girls."

"Do you really want me to leave, Shintaro?" purred Kurumu. Mizore grabbed her arm, dragging her away, "Hey!"

"It's late and he needs his rest," insisted Mizore.

"Hmph!"

"Goodnight, Shintaro-kun," Moka smiled at him before leaving with the rest of the girls. Shintaro waved at them and went back into his room, shutting the door as he did.

"I'm gonna need to phone home for advice," Shintaro told himself.

* * *

The following morning, at breakfast, Shintaro decided to tell the girls his plan.

"So, I was thinking that I should take each of you girls out on a date on a different this week," Shintaro told them. The girls' faces brightened at that. While that meant he would be alone with a different girl, at least he could spend an entire day with each of them. "The way I see it, I'll have the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th days free," Shintaro concluded.

"What will you be doing on the 2nd and 6th days?" Mizore asked.

"Me time," Shintaro answered. "Now, I've already decided who gets to go first-"

"ME!" Yukari, Kurumu and Mizore interrupted simultaneously.

"And it's Moka-chan," he finished. Moka blushed.

"Me?" she asked.

"I did meet you first," he said. He then listed, "Then it's Mizore-chan, Yukari-chan and Kurumu-chan, in order of when I met you."

"So I get to go next," smiled Mizore at the pleasant news.

"Why am I last!?" Kurumu demanded.

"You did try to brainwash him and nearly blew up his brain," Mizore reminded.

"I wasn't trying to blow up his brain!" Kurumu retorted.

"And I've forgiven her," Shintaro reminded Mizore. "So, Moka-chan, would you like to go on a date with me today?"

Moka blushed, playing with her fingers, as she answered, "...Yes...yes I would."

"That's great," he smiled. "Meet me later in front of school at noon." He finished his meal, "I'll be seeing you." He took hold of her hand and kissed the back of it. "Later, ladies." He then walked off with a skip. Moka gazed at the back of the hand he'd kissed and smiled. She was going on a date with Shintaro...a date...with Shintaro!

"Lucky bitch," frowned Kurumu.

"Just be patient, unless that isn't your virtue," Mizore remarked.

"Don't tell me you're not going to spy on them," Kurumu shot back.

"OK, I won't tell you."

* * *

**Noonish, in front of the school building...**

For the umpteeth time, Moka checked herself to see if she looked alright. For her date, she had decided to wear something casual but hopefully still look nice. She had chosen a pink blouse with brown khakis pants that were tight, reaching only to slightly above her knees. She wasn't sure what Shintaro had planned for their little date but she was actually fidgeting with anticipation. Her musings were interrupted by the loud roar of something, something she was familiar with. It was the sound of a motorcycle engine. That was when she saw, coming towards her, what appeared to be a dark sports bike with a dark clad rider driving it. The helmet was black with a visor that revealed nothing of the biker's identity. The bike began to slow down in front of her before coming to a stop.

She wondered who it was but got her answer when the biker removed his helmet. Two strands of hair sprang up atop a head of indigo hair and a young man with a bright smile gazed at her.

"My lovely lady, your ride has arrived," he said as he put down the kickstand and dismounted.

"Shintaro-kun?" Moka looked him over. She had never seen him out of uniform before but she liked what he had on. He was wearing a white buttoned up shirt, left un-tucked, with black jeans. He wore blue sneakers and over his clothes he wore a black leather jacket with coat tails. He still wore his signature gloves, too.

"That's me," he grinned.

"You have a bike," she stated.

"And that's right," he said, putting his hand on the gas tank. "And it's mine. Just got it delivered this morning."

"Delivered?" Moka asked.

"I needed to get Topper and Kaze to have it delivered and needed special permission to get it here. And don't worry." He fished out of his pocket and flashed a card to her. "I've got a license!"

"It's beautiful," she said as she admired the dark paint job. She could finally see that there were green vines painted along the black surface.

"Yeah, and believe it or not I got it in a junkyard," Shintaro told her.

"A junkyard? What were you doing in a junkyard?" asked Moka.

"Well, sometimes Topper would send me and Kaze out to find something that could be fixed and restored to sell at the shop," said Shintaro. "When I saw this beauty, right there, waiting to get scrapped, I decided that I would take it home to be restored. It took me 4 whole months before it became the beauty that it is today."

"And you did it yourself?" Moka asked.

"Well, I had help," said Shintaro. "Of course I needed to work extra just to earn enough to buy the spare parts, the paint, and not to mention get a license so I could ride this baby." He asked, "So, would you care to join me for a ride?" He took out a spare helmet, offering it to her.

Moka's answer was obvious.

* * *

While Moka knew the feeling of wind rushing through her hair when she rode her bicycle, it did not compare to the feeling she got while riding on Shintaro's bike. She was straddling the seat, behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around his body. He was focused on the road ahead. She looked up at the boy driving the bike and thought about what she'd learnt about him.

He had lived in the human world, but wasn't sure if he was human or not. Evidence pointed to the latter, but he smelled very much like a human being. His ability to transform was unlike anything a monster had displayed. It was armor, but where had he gotten it? Then there was that pocket watch he carried, the one sealed by some kind of enchantment. Just what exactly did it contain and why didn't it open when they wanted it to open? Shintaro claimed it only opened when needed so they would just have to wait for another chance.

Another thought crossed her mind. When Kurumu had used her Charm on Shintaro, he had broken down, screaming. He kept apologizing. She didn't know to whom or about what, but it had to be something that he felt overwhelming regret over. He didn't remember what it was, but Moka had a feeling the pocket watch might show them one day.

Her inner self was also interested in Shintaro, but not in the way Moka was. While Moka considered Shintaro a friend (probably something more), Inner Moka just saw him as a source of fresh blood. He would let Moka drink his blood. He didn't seem to mind, at least not anymore. He understood that being a vampire, she needed to drink blood. At least she wasn't draining him dry. Ever since the first time her inner self had seen Shintaro transform and fight, she had wanted to test her own fighting prowess against Shintaro. There was something in the way Shintaro fought that made Inner Moka want to see if he was really a challenge, or if he was just the same as the rabble, only slightly stronger.

"We're here," Shintaro said and they stopped at a beautiful garden. Moka's eyes widened as she saw the beautiful flowers around them. "Found this place one night while exploring. This garden is maintained by the Horticulture Club."

"It's beautiful," Moka smiled.

"I knew you'd like it. Now, let me take you to that tree," Shintaro said. The two dismounted and went to said tree. Shintaro then went behind the tree and took out a picnic basket. "Ta-dah!" he announced. "How about a picnic in the garden?" He took out a red and white checkered blanket and laid it out on the grass before motioning Moka to sit. He then took out tupperware filled with food from the basket, and a bottle of red liquid.

"Tomato juice?" Moka asked as Shintaro unscrewed the cap before filling up two glasses.

"It's your favorite, next to blood," he said, handing her one glass. She took a sip. "So, I got some BLT's, potato wedges, a fresh garden salad with chicken chunks, and for dessert, chocolate cake."

"You made all this? When?" Moka asked.

"Last night when I made my plans," said Shintaro. "Had to call Kaze for help." He opened the tupperware with the sandwiches. "Come on, let's dig in and watch the flowers."

"Yes," Moka agreed.

* * *

By evening, Shintaro took Moka back to her dormitory. He also walked her to her door. When they stood at the threshold, Moka said to him, "I had a lovely time."

"So did I," he said, "Especially since I got to spend it with you." Those words made Moka blush and out of impulse she kissed his cheek. Shintaro didn't mind. According to Kaze, a kiss on the lips should only happen on the third date, at best. It depended on the girl and how comfortable they were. "Good night," he greeted before turning to leave. Moka smiled and went inside her dorm to take a bath.

On his way down to the ground floor, Shintaro noted the drop in temperature. "Mizore-chan," he stated and there she was, following him. "Were you following me the whole time?"

"Only since I saw you leaving Moka at the door," said Mizore as she walked down to stand next to him. "So, next is my turn."

"On the third, snowflake," he said, tapping her nose. She smiled and hugged his arm.

"Can't it be tomorrow?" she asked, pleading cutely.

"Sorry, can't," he said. "Golden Week homework. The teachers did not show mercy when they decided to assign us all that for the week."

"It's unfair," she nodded in agreement, "But isn't all that homework easy for you?"

"It is, but why rush it?" he shrugged, "Besides, it leaves me something to do for 'me time'."

"So, the day after tomorrow then," said Mizore.

"I promise," he swore. "Now, good night, sleep tight and wait patiently. I'll show you a good time, snowflake." He then walked off, humming a tune. Mizore watched him go and smiled. Another letter to home was in order. Her mother would sure like to meet the mysterious boy she had met, the one who was an unknown being.

* * *

It was the 3rd day of Golden Week, and as promised, Shintaro took Mizore out on a date. Also, he asked her to pick the place and she told him about a lake that she would go to so she could skip stones. She wanted to skip stones with her. She had enjoyed every second of it.

As Shintaro observed, he noted that she was quite skilled at it. He tried himself and had gotten a few skips, but not as much as Mizore's. They then had a picnic too. He had prepared a few cold dishes. As for dessert, Mizore had filled two bowls with shaved ice. She also carried fruit syrup to flavor the shaved ice. They had spent their date just talking, mainly about themselves and getting to know each other. Shintaro learnt about yuki-onna and the truth behind the myth. It was true they would kidnap men, but only out of love, not malice. The men who were never seen again were allowed to come and go as they please, but had not want to leave their beautiful wives.

Mizore had admitted that she had considered kidnapping him, but he was just so kind to her that she decided to try and maybe win his heart. Even if they were just friends for now, things could change down the road. She did not like how she had to compete with the other girls, but she was sure that Shintaro would make the right choice.

He had told Moka before, and now he told Mizore that his dream was to become an archaeologist. The books he had were about lost and mythical civilisations and he wanted to find them all, to uncover the truth, and see the past. He then admitted, with some embarrassment, that he was inspired by the Indiana Jones film series.

Mizore did not know who or what Indiana Jones was and Shintaro told her that he would gladly show her the series, even watch it with her. To Mizore, that sounded like a promise for another date.

Speaking of the past, Shintaro still didn't know much about himself before he lived with Topper and Kaze He couldn't even find out his own identity due to the lack of fingerprints. So, that was pointless. There was probably hope that Shintaro's biological family was out there, but they were probably waiting, or had given up and thought him dead, moving on with their lives.

At the end of the date, Shintaro took Mizore on another ride on his bike before dropping her off at her dorm. She had given him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

* * *

The fifth day of Golden Week was spent with Yukari. He decided to invite her to the library so they could talk. Maybe even let her check his homework. Yukari did and noted that his Kanji was horrible. It wasn't something he was proud of. Still, they were able to enjoy each other's company and learn a bit of each other. He learnt that Yukari came from a hidden village surrounded by a forest and isolated from the rest of the human world. According to her, witches and wizards drew power from nature around them. Human cities, on the other hand, were suffocating. He also learnt about the discrimination she had suffered being a witch, as she was basically a human with magic powers. It didn't matter to Shintaro whether or not she was a witch. He was the same as her. He just wasn't sure what he was and where he fit in.

He then told her about the things in the pawn shop, like magical items. Shintaro had experience with such items, from the bizarre to the frightening. Cataloging and organizing the inventory of the pawn shop could get dangerous. Yukari asked if Topper and Kaze were actually wizards. Shintaro suspected it himself, but wasn't sure. He did know they were known to do things out of the ordinary. It was probably why he got along well with the father and son duo. They were a trio of weirdoes.

Shintaro even managed to sneak in some food into the library, just some cakes and cookies. Yukari, being a young girl, enjoyed the sweets. She especially enjoyed them since Shintaro had made them. That was probably why he needed 'me time' the day before, so he could prepare.

* * *

The seventh and final day of Golden Week was here and today Shintaro would be taking Kurumu on a date. She had been waiting for this day with anticipation, passing the time with baking. In fact, she had done a lot of baking and wanted to share the things she had made with him. But first, she had suggested they go shopping together. Where were they going? The Student Mall, of course.

The Student Mall was just a set of stores set up for the students to buy necessities, like groceries, clothes and stationery. The clothing store was Kurumu's primary target and Shintaro managed to see why when she came out of the changing room in a red bikini.

"What do you think?" she posed sexily, causing her breasts to bounce. Shintaro was rendered speechless and Kurumu grinned. Oh yeah, she had sex appeal that was superior to the other girls and was going to flaunt it. "Could you hand me that other suit?" she asked and Shintaro handed the item to her. "Thank you!" She went behind the curtain and Shintaro turned away.

"I'm gonna need a _cold _shower after this," Shintaro muttered. He heard a ringing coming from his jacket and took out his phone. "Hello."

"_Bonjour, Shintaro! How is my friend doing?"_ Kaze asked.

"Oh, just shopping with Kurumu-chan," Shintaro asked.

"_Lingerie or swimwear?" _Kaze asked and Shintaro glowered. _"Either or then."_

"Yeah, and believe me, it's not easy to reign in the urge to-"

"_Throw her on the floor to have your way with her, making her moan and scream your name?" _Kaze teased. Shintaro's eyes widened as he blushed while Kaze laughed. _"That's natural! At least it confirms you're not gay!"_

"Hey, I'm not the guy who loves show tunes and musicals!" Shintaro snapped.

"_My interests aside, I want to ask, are you enjoying yourself?" _Kaze inquired.

"Well, it's nice to be around people who don't look at me funny the moment they see me use my powers," said Shintaro.

"_I'm glad, my friend. I guess Papa made the right decision."_

"Well, he could've told me in advance this was a school for monsters!"

"Shintaro, whaddya think?" Kurumu asked as she came out in a blue, halter-style bathing suit. She posed. "Does this look good on me?"

Shintaro nearly dropped his phone as he gawked at her. So much for maintaining his composure.

Standing outside of the store, with a camera, was a slimy teenager with freckles and messy, shoulder length hair. His name was Nagare Kano and he was watching Shintaro and Kurumu. Actually, he was watching Kurumu. He snapped a photo of her, his camera zooming in on her luscious body. Oh, she was a magnificent specimen and definitely deserving of being known as one of the top beauties among the first years. She was also quite photogenic. What infuriated Kano was that she was spending time with Shintaro, the Insect-Man. What was so great about him?

Kurumu was his, dammit! _His_! She belonged to him and he would prove it one day!

"So, I see that you are interested in the girl," Kano heard behind him and he spun around, his grip on his camera loosening at the sight of the Man in White. The camera slipped out of his fingers but the Man in White caught it before holding it up to Kano. "You nearly dropped this. Would be a waste if you did. All those _precious _pictures."

"Who are you and what do you want?" asked Kano and the Man in White smiled.

"Who am I is unimportant, but what I want is to offer you power," the Man in White answered before holding a Freak Chip up for Kano to see. "And this is the thing that will grant you the power to get what you want."

* * *

"Do you really need all these bathing suits?" Shintaro asked as he held up the bags which contained her purchases as they left the store together.

"Well, there's a pool and summer vacation will be coming up, so I thought I'd buy a few," she said.

"Isn't the school swimsuit good enough?" he asked. Kurumu grinned.

"Aw~ are you one of those boys who gets turned on by a girl in a school swimsuit?" she teased. Shintaro blushed. He didn't answer.

"I will not deny or confirm such allegations," he deadpanned, but the blush was still there and she giggled.

"Come on, there's a small cafe over there. We can stop to have a snack," said Kurumu. Shintaro smiled and went with her. Unfortunately, their little rest spot would have to wait as Shintaro's twin ahoge suddenly stood up on ends. He dropped the bags and grabbed Kurumu, pushing her to the ground. She gasped but smiled as his face was pressed between her breasts. "So soon?"

"No," he said and he looked up at the wall of the clothing store. Part of it was bubbling and sizzling as it melted, smoke wafting off the surface. Kurumu's eyes widened as she saw this. He asked, sniffing the air, "What's this smell?" He then heard what sounded like a high-pitched squeak. He stood up and turned to face what had attacked them and grimaced. It was humanoid, but was anything but human. It had a slimy body, colored camouflage, with two eye stalks. It had a mouth full of square teeth of mismatched length. On its back were organic tubes that were emitting a gas that was foul, very foul. It smelled like rotten eggs. Shintaro helped Kurumu up to her feet.

"It's one of those freaky monsters," Kurumu identified as she pinched her nose.

"Looks like it, or a student gone crazy," said Shintaro as he handed her the bags. "Either way, Kurumu-chan, you better run and find cover."

"You expect me to leave you?" she questioned but he did not answer as he strode towards the Slug Freak.

"Henshin," Shintaro said and in a flash of green light he was clad in his armor. "Kamen Rider Kai...on stage!" He then rushed at the Slug Freak, brandishing the Twin Edge Chrono Blade. The Slug Freak did not move from his spot and Kai slashed with his Twin Edge Chrono Blade, only for the Slug Freak's wound to heal instantly. This caused the Kamen Rider's eyes to go wide.

"Instantaneous Regeneration? Healing Factor?" Kai observed. The Slug Freak spat acid and Kai dodged. However, some of the acid hit his right leg and he fell to the ground in pain. "Ugh! Not good! Not good!" He used his power to reverse time and heal his leg before rolling out of the way from another acid spit.

"Alright, time to stop you for good!" Kai sped himself up and slashed the Slug Freak repeatedly until it fell to pieces. For a moment, Kai thought he had just killed his opponent, only for the Slug Freak's pieces to melt into slime which merged together before reforming into the body of the Slug Freak, absent of all injuries.

"Are you seriously kidding me!?" Kai shouted before the Slug Freak slammed its arm across Kai's head and sent him flying into the wall with a loud crash. The Slug Freak then spat slime at him but it wasn't acidic. It stuck Kai to the wall like glue. He struggled to free himself as the Slug Freak stalked towards him. The gas around them was becoming thicker, and harder to breathe in. Fortunately for Kai, his helmet had a filter. Of course, the Slug Freak decided to rectify that by grabbing hold of Kai's helmet to rip it off. Immobilized, Kai tried to resist as the Slug Freak continued to tug on the helmet to rip it off his head, or rip his head right off his shoulders.

Of course, that was when Kurumu decided to intervene. She had assumed her true succubus form and slashed the Slug Freak across the back. Despite the poison gas weakening her, she was still trying to help.

"Let him go!" she demanded and the Slug Freak did so, only to turn its head 180 degrees to face her. It then shot out a tongue that wrapped around her. "Let me go!" she shouted as the slime on the tongue was starting to corrode her own clothes. "Dammit, let me go you sick freak!"

"Let her go!" Kai shouted as he struggled but there was nothing he could do. The Slug Freak was ignoring him, in favor of slowly stripping Kurumu with its slime, but he needed to get free and save her. "Dammit...I need to save her...I have to save her...I must save her!" The crystal in his belt, his helmet's compound eyes and the colored plates on his armor started to glow blue.

Meanwhile, Kurumu continued to scream as the slime was slowly melting her clothes down to her underwear. Suddenly, there was an explosion of blue energy that nearly knocked the Slug Freak to the ground. Kurumu looked to see the source of the explosion and saw it had come from where she had last seen Kai. Kai was released from the sticky slime prison, lightning arcing about him. Kurumu and the Slug Freak were stunned by his appearance.

"Shintaro?" Kurumu asked.

Kai's armor had changed as his bodysuit now gained white patterns resembling lightning bolts. His scarf had also turned bright blue. The armor plating on his arms, shoulders, legs and chest had also adopted a storm blue color. The crest on his helmet turned gold and became jagged like lightning bolts. The eyes flashed blue. With a swing of his arm, he dispersed the poison gas with power, gale-force, winds.

This was Kamen Rider Kai Tempest Form.

Kai brandished the Twin Edge Chrono Blade, the twin blades glowing blue like his eyes, sparking with electricity. He then rushed forward and slashed, cutting the Slig Freak tongue in half and releasing Kurumu. He caught Kurumu in his arms and set her down. "Are you OK?" He saw that she had been reduced to her underwear and turned away. "Take cover," he advised. "I'll be done shortly."

The Slug Freak screeched and spat a glob of acidic slime, only for it to be reduced to nothing as Kai slashed through it. Kai started to advance, the Slug Freak spitting its acid, only for Kai to slice through the barrage with ease. Once close enough, Kai unleashed another attack. He thrust his hand forward and a powerful blast of air shot the Slug Freak into the air. It went crashing to the ground with a loud and violent thud. Slowly rising to its feet, the Slug Freak rushed Kai and started swinging widely. Kai countered, swiping at the Slug Freak and shocking it with electricity. He then leapt into the air and swung his leg, releasing a vacuum blade which sliced through its left arm, separating it from the rest of its body.

Landing a distance away, Kai started to gather the moisture in the air, reshaping it into arrows made of water. He then flicked his wrist and let the flurry of water at the Slug Freak, striking what Kai felt to be vital parts of its body.

"Time's Up for you," Kai concluded as the plates on his armor and his eyes glowed brightly. Lightning began to dance and surround his body, wrapping around the Twin Edge Chrono Blade.

'_**Tempest Harpoon!**_' he called in his mind. He then cocked his arm back and threw his weapon like a javelin. It struck the Slug Freak dead centre in the chest and started to electrocute it.

"KURO-NO-SHINIGAMI!" the Slug Freak screeched one last time before exploding.

The Twin Edge Chrono Blade returned to Kai's hand as he reverted back to his default form. He watched as the smoke cleared to reveal an unconscious male student, nude and injured. Dropping from his forehead was another one of those chips. Kai picked it up but as soon as he did, it turned to dust that fell from his fingers.

"What's going on?" Kai asked himself. He was then glomped from behind by Kurumu. He remembered that she was still half-naked, only wearing her underwear.

"My hero!" she cheered.

"Let's get you some new clothes," he said. She really didn't need to attract anymore unwanted attention, barely dressed like that.

* * *

After taking Kurumu back to her dorm, fully clothed mind you, Shintaro took out his phone to call home and report what had just occurred. His finished homework was on his desk as his sat on his chair with his legs folded, his phone to his ear. When Kaze picked up, Shintaro summarised but with details of what had occurred.

"_So, another one of those weird monsters attacked you, huh?"_ Kaze concluded.

"Yeah, and after I beat it, it turned back to a student before another one of those strange chips fell off. It disintegrated as soon as I touched it so I can't send you a sample," said Shintaro.

"_Well, at least you're safe. Did you at least have fun?"_ Kaze asked. Shintaro smiled. Even though their date was cut short by the appearance of the Slug Freak, he had enjoyed himself. He didn't even mind paying for Kurumu's new clothes.

"I did," said Shintaro.

"_That's the spirit! Now, just keep on having fun! You deserve to have a semi-normal school life."_

"OK, Kaze. But could you look into the thing about these chips? I doubt this is an isolated incident.

"_You can count on me! Au revoir!"_

"Good night."

Shintaro hung up and looked out the window. He then took out his pocket watch, glaring at it with great scrutiny. "Topper, what are you not telling me?" Earlier, he had assumed a new form, which came with new powers. Said powers worked effectively on the Slug Freak. Was he going to keep unlocking new abilities? And if so, where did he gain these abilities? So many questions and yet no answers came to mind. Only Topper would have those answers but the man was just too cryptic at times.

Yawning, Shintaro decided to get ready for bed and think about the matter another time. Tomorrow school would start again and Shintaro wanted to get up bright an early to walk to school with the girls. That was the best way to start the day.

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: And here's the third chapter of the story and also the debut of a new form. Tempest Form was good to have as it gave Shintaro the power he needed to finish off his opponent. However, does this mean he could unlock other forms as well, each with their own strengths and powers? Who knows? Anyway, another divergence from the canon's plot. This was fun to write. Now, what do you think will happen next? I bet you haven't a clue because it's so different. Well, if you wanna know, you gotta wait.**


	4. Gravity Dance

**Chapter 4: Gravity Dance**

"MOVE!" Kai screamed, causing the girls to scramble from the lethal torrent of water coming at them. Kai was in his black and green Chrono Form, armed with the Twin Edge Chrono Blade. He had tried to finish the fight with his time powers. Unfortunately, his opponent was not easy for him to beat.

Standing before him was a massive, draconic beast, a sea serpent to be more precise. However, its body was made up of the bodies of the members of the Swim Team, all merged together to create this abomination. It was in the middle of the pool and using the water to perform its attacks. Kai had tried to use his speed and ability to manipulate time to fight it, but unfortunately, nothing was working. Even Mizore's ice proved ineffective as the Sea Serpent Freak just shattered the ice with ease.

And it had started out as a nice day too.

Earlier that day, Nekonome-sensei had told them that since they were learning how to adapt to the human world, then joining a club was mandatory. Shintaro didn't really understand the logic in that, but he went for it. Following that, the students were told to go out and see the Club Recruitment Fair.

All of the school clubs had set up stands and trying their best to attract new members. Some of the clubs were downright creepy and a few went overboard. The Mummy Club was weird, the Acupuncture Club made Shintaro's joints ache, and the Chemistry Club was creepy to Moka. The Photography Club, well, they just wanted pretty girls to join and model for them. Not exactly a club Shintaro was OK with if all they wanted was extra eye candy.

There were a few clubs here and there that appeared normal, but nothing that actually appealed to Shintaro. Also, the girls did not want to join a club that he wasn't in. It would be pointless for them to be separated into different clubs.

Then there was the Swim Team and they were doing well with attracting potential recruits to add to their membership. They were dressed in bikinis and were sexy. While Shintaro would've liked to get to know them, he decided not to get too close to the water for Moka's sake. Yukari, Kurumu and Mizore, on the other hand, had put on bathing suits to enjoy themselves in the water.

Then the Swim Team showed their true colors, becoming hideous mermaids with big mouths, sharp teeth, and a hunger for male energy. Mizore, having seen this, flash froze the pool along with the mermaids. That should've resolved the issue, right?

Of course things were never that easy. Something had happened, causing the mermaids to merge and transform into this giant monster. It was probably one of those strange chips again if Shintaro had to guess. Now, they were fighting against a hideous amalgamation of female flesh.

Tendrils of water then whipped at the girls but Kai used his speed to deflect them. However, he needed power to defeat the Freak the mermaids had become. He needed that power which he had used against the Slug Freak. Unfortunately for him, he was not able to call on it consciously. Suddenly, the Sea Serpent Freak lashed out with its tail and coiled it tight around Kai's body, lifting him up. He struggled to free himself.

"Let him go!" Kurumu shouted as she flew at the Sea Serpent Freak to free her chosen one, but a high-pressured blast of water knocked her out of the air and to the solid ground.

"KURUMU-CHAN!" Kai shouted. She was lying there, not moving. "No..." Was she dead. "No...please no..." he begged. She wasn't moving. Mizore, Yukari and Moka went to check on her. "NOOOOOO!" he roared. The plates on his armor and eyes glowed blue and his body unleashed lightning bolts. The Sea Serpent Freak was forced to release Kai as he transformed into Kamen Rider Kai Tempest Form. He summoned up a tall pillar of water and stood upon it. He glared at the Sea Serpent Freak angrily and then used his power to surrounded the Freak with a whirling pillar of water that lifted it high into the air.

"TIME'S UP FOR YOU!" Kai shouted as he was catapulted into the air. His Twin Edge Chrono Blade became enveloped in electrical energy. He then separated both the swords that made up his weapons, the swords linked by a chain made of lightning. With a mighty throw, he hurled the short sword at the Serpent Freak, the lightning chain lengthening as the short sword flew. The chain then wrapped around the Sea Serpent Freak's maw, binding it shut. With the chain retracting, Kai dove down like a meteor, his weapon pointed forward, electricity trailing behind him as he roared. '_**Tempest Bolt!**_' he called mentally. His attack struck and there was an explosion.

Kai landed as it rained mermaids. Some fell into the pool, unconscious, and the unlucky ones fell on solid concrete. They were all alive, fortunately. As for Tamao Ichinose, Captain of the Swim Team, she groaned in pain as the Freak Chip fell off her body before turning into dust.

"Kurumu-chan!" Kai shouted as he reverted back to human form. He went to check on her. She was surrounded by the girls. "Give me room!" he shouted. Moka, Yukari and Mizore moved aside.

"She's been hurt," said Moka. Shintaro could see the bruises, scrapes and blood.

"Please be OK. Please be OK," Shintaro pleaded as he put his hands over Kurumu. They glowed and her injuries began to heal. "Please, wake up." Kurumu's eyes opened and she gazed up at Shintaro. "I'm so sorry," he apologized.

"Why?" she asked.

"You got hurt because I got careless," he explained. "I'm sorry."

Kurumu sat up and hugged him. "It was my decision to try and help. Don't worry about it. I'm fine." Shintaro returned the hug, glad that someone he cared about wasn't lost. From a safe distance, the Man in White frowned at the scene he was observing before he walked away.

"At least there's more fish in the sea," he murmured.

* * *

"Well, guess there aren't any clubs we can join," remarked Shintaro as he and the girls, back in proper uniform, ate lunch in the cafeteria. The incident with the Swim Team had cancelled the Recruitment Fair.

"It's a shame," sighed Yukari.

"It really is," agreed Moka. "I was hoping we could all join a club together. It would've been so much fun.

"Well, we could just start our own club," suggested Shintaro. The girls looked at him, curious as to what he was suggesting.

"We can?" Kurumu asked. Shintaro took out a handbook and flipped the pages until he found the section he was looking for.

"To start a new club, 5 students are needed, it would also need permission from the faculty and also require a representative of the faculty to act as an advisor and supervisor," Shintaro read.

"You carry the handbook with you all the time?" Mizore asked.

"I read it when I'm bored or to kill time," he answered as he pocketed the handbook. "Well, there's five of us here. So what do you say, girls? How about we start our own club?"

"What kind of club? What will it be about?" Moka asked, interested.

"History and Archaeology," Shintaro said.

"History and Archaeology?" the girls echoed.

"Sounds boring," whined Kurumu.

"Maybe, but uncovering the mysteries of the past has always been an interest of mine," Shintaro confessed. "I mean, when I look at an old grandfather clock, I wonder how old it is, where it was made, who made it and who owned it. Finding the answers to those questions is just so much fun."

"It could be interesting," said Yukari. "Let's try it."

"But do you know how?" Moka asked.

"I'll just go to the office and get a form to start a new club. It shouldn't be hard," said Shintaro with a smile.

* * *

"_Do you already have a teacher chosen to act as your advisor?" _Kaze asked. Shintaro had called Kaze to tell him the news, that he was going to start his own club.

"John Smith-sensei," said Shintaro. "He teaches World History. I'm sure that if I approach him the right way, he'll agree."

"_Well, good luck then. Oh, when summer vacation comes, you should bring the girls over for a visit_," Kaze suggested.

"You'll just flirt with them," Shintaro frowned.

"_I'll just say hello,"_ Kaze defended.

"For _you _that's flirting."

* * *

After school the following day, Shintaro went towards the faculty office to speak with John Smith-sensei. He was Youkai Academy's World History teacher and according to gossip one of the most popular male teachers since he had a fanclub of girls who would swoon at the sight of him. The students in his class would always pay attention to his every word and Shintaro enjoyed his class very much. He even added small notes that were not in the history textbooks and he often spoke of historical events like he had actually been there or historical figures as if he had met them personally. He had a way of immersing the students in the lesson and he was the one signature Shintaro needed in order to get the new club approved.

"So, now that you've heard my proposal, could you please become our faculty advisor?" Shintaro asked John Smith-sensei.

John Smith was a man who looked to be in his early thirties. He had short, silver-white hair and violet eyes. Over his eyes he wore a stylish pair of glasses. He was dressed in a green blazer and matching slacks with a black t-shirt. He also wore black boots. He smiled brightly at Shintaro. "I would be happy to, Shintaro."

"That's great," said Shintaro as he put down the form for Smith-sensei to sign. Shintaro, Yukari, Moka, Kurumu, and Mizore's names had already been put down as a minimum of five members, plus a signature from a faculty member, were needed to form a new club. Smith-sensei took out a pen and signed the paper before stamping his seal.

"There," said Smith-sensei, "Oh, and I can already see you'll have a lot of fun with your new club."

"We will, and thank you, Smith-sensei!" Shintaro bowed and left with the form.

* * *

Shintaro handed in the form and got the new club approved. He was then given a key for an unused clubroom. He smiled. Already, the start of their new club was looking good. Still, he had to wonder if the girls were interested. He could tell that Yukari wanted this club to become a reality as it gave her a chance to spend time with him, and also study history that wasn't taught in the classroom, but what about Moka, Kurumu and Mizore? They probably agreed because it gave them a reason to spend more time with him.

And to be honest, Shintaro didn't mind spending more time with them, but the History and Archaeology Club did need to fulfil its objective, which meant studying history, but the type of history Shintaro was interested in were mysteries such as lost continents that only existed in the form of myths. Places like Mu, Atlantis and Lumeria which were said to be advanced civilisations, only to be lost in time. Those historical mysteries were something he wanted to solve. Maybe they were real, maybe they were myth, but Shintaro really wanted to know.

Another set of examples would be Stonehenge and also the Moai stone statues of Easter Island. He wanted to know how old they were and why they had been built. Also, mysterious Ooparts (Out of Place Artifacts) that popped up. History was full of mysteries, and he wanted to solve them all.

* * *

"Well, here it is, our new clubroom," said Shintaro as he stood in front of the door with the girls. They had cleaning instruments with them. Since they were being given this room, it would be their responsibility to get it cleaned up. He put in the key and twisted it before sliding the door open. He was assaulted by a cloud of dust and started coughing.

"Shintaro-kun, are you OK?" Moka asked.

"Fine," he said. "Just some dust. I'll be OK."

"When was the last time anyone's been in here?" Kurumu questioned as she examined the interior of the room. Everything had a thick layer of dust over them.

"A long time," stated Mizore. "A _really _long time."

"Well, let's get to cleaning then," said Shintaro. "Yukari-chan, would you mind doing the honors?"

"Desu!" Yukari waved her wand and sent brooms and dusters in to take care of the dust problem.

"Once the brooms and dusters are done, we'll do the rest," said Shintaro. The windows needed cleaning too, and the floor needed to be mopped, not to mention they needed to get rid of the pile of boxes shoved into the corner of the room.

"Ah a cockroach!" Kurumu screamed.

"Get it away!" Moka yelled.

"Gross!" exclaimed Yukari.

"Somebody kill it!" shouted Mizore.

Shintaro watched, in bizarre fascination, as the girls ducked and dodged from a flying cockroach in panic. It just didn't make sense how these monster-girls could be afraid of such thing. Then again, cockroaches were disgusting and spread diseases. When the cockroach landed on the wall, it was immediately flattened by Shintaro with his slipper.

"There," he said and he grimaced at the mess he'd made. "OK, now I'm grossed out." The girls cheered for him for being so brave. '_Seriously, these girls are supposed to be scary and dangerous monsters?_'

* * *

The brooms and dusters did their work, which left the members of the soon to be official History and Archaeology Club to get to work cleaning up the place. Moka and Kurumu had each grabbed a chair and climbed on so they could clean the windows. Because the skirts were short, Shintaro could actually see up them. He looked away so he could concentrate on his own work. He was going to carry out the boxes of unnecessary junk and clutter. Of course, before getting rid of them, he checked them to see if there was anything worth keeping. He found a lot of old books. Could this have been the Literary Club? Had it been disbanded for a very long time? It was quite a shame, and these books looked like they still had value. Perhaps he could keep a few, send some back home and donate the rest to the library.

Mizore was cleaning the whiteboard, getting rid of what little dust remained with a washcloth and a bucket of water with Yukari mopping the floor.

By the time they were done cleaning, it was already getting dark. Tomorrow, they would start decorating the club. Shintaro already had a few ideas of what to put up on the wall and what else was needed to make it look like a club interested in history and archaeology.

"Well, looks like you kids are working hard," said Smith-sensei and the girls gasped as he stood at the door. "Looks like you're taking this project seriously."

"Of course we are, Smith-sensei," Shintaro smiled.

"Well, at this rate, we can get started on club meetings soon. I sure hope you can show some enthusiasm," encouraged Smith-sensei before leaving the teens.

"We better head back to the dorms before it gets dark," Shintaro suggested.

* * *

The day ended with another round of hijinks of Shintaro and his four friends. Moka couldn't resist taking another sip of Shintaro's delicious blood before they went home. Kurumu of course took exception to this and pushed Moka away before enveloping Shintaro in her chest, incidentally cutting off his air supply. Mizore naturally did not like this and showed her displeasure by freezing the succubus in a block of ice before trying to sneak Shintaro off for a snuggle. Yukari cut her off by conjuring a kettle of hot water to chase the yuki-onna around while the little witch tried once again to get Shintaro interested in her. In the end, everyone was feeling more weary than when the school day ended but they couldn't find it in themselves to complain about it.

At the shoe lockers, Moka opened her locker and saw an envelope. She took it out and examined it. It was addressed to her, but referred to her as 'Beautiful Moka-chan'. Judging by its appearance, it had to be none other than a love letter. Moka couldn't help but just stare at the letter for a moment, never having received one from anybody before.

"A love letter?" Kurumu asked as she looked over Moka's shoulder, causing the pink-haired vampire to gasp. "Ooh, can I see? Come on, lemme take a look!"

"No, this is private!" exclaimed Moka. Mizore was behind her and she shivered.

"If you read it, that'll probably mean less competition for me," said Mizore.

"Um..." Moka bit her lip and then saw Yukari looking at her, eyes sparking with curiosity.

"Come on, Moka-san! Open it and read what it says!" urged Yukari, wanting to know the contents of the letter.

"Hey, don't crowd around her like that," chided Shintaro. "As for the contents of the letter, that's Moka-chan's business. It's supposed to be private."

"Shintaro-kun, thank you," said Moka. She was touched that he understood.

"So, who's it from?" he asked, also curious.

"I haven't opened it yet," said Moka. "Do you think I should?"

"Well, they did send you a letter. Would be impolite not to read it since they put their heart into it," he said.

"Even if it's a love letter?" Kurumu asked and Shintaro's right eyebrow momentarily twitched. It happened too quickly for anyone to notice.

"Even if it's a love letter," he confirmed. "Besides, it's just a letter. It wouldn't hurt to read it."

"I think I'll read it back in my room," said Moka as she stuffed the letter into her bag. "See you all tomorrow!"

"Yeah," said Shintaro. "I'm just gonna head back to my room to get some stuff to fill up the clubroom."

"You're pulling an all-nighter?" Kurumu asked. "Need company?" she offered.

"Nah, I'm good. Besides, you girls need your beauty sleep," he told them. "I'll be fine." He went over to where his bike was parked. "Anybody want a ride?" he asked.

"ME!" all four girls cried out and he chuckled.

"Sorry, I have only room for one more," he said.

"Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors!"

Shintaro watched in amusement as the girls played Rock-Paper-Scissors to determine who would ride on his bike with him.

* * *

After dropping Yukari off (she had won the Rock-Paper-Scissors game), Shintaro went to his dorm to grab a few things and put them into a box before taking them back to the clubroom. As he walked through the halls of the dorm, all he could hear the other boys talking about was the news that Moka had received a love letter. Somehow, despite the event being private, the whole school seemed to know about it anyway. All the guys kept talking about was how pissed off they were that some punk had the gall to write Moka a love letter while others wondered if it finally meant they could take a shot at hooking up with her. All of the talk made Shintaro growl internally, angry at how all the guys seemed to regard Moka as a prize to be claimed rather than the sweet girls she was.

Ignoring the feeling and the overly-hormonal ramblings, Shintaro went back to his new clubroom to begin making the place into a real clubroom for himself and the girls. He went and started on decorating the place, bringing out photos of ancient sites and books that could come in handy for the club's activities. He even had a small ancient trinket or two that he had brought from home to make subjects of study as the first activity for the club. They could be a topic of discussion. As he looked out the window, he spotted Moka at the school gate as she was heading to the school building.

"What's she doing here?" Shintaro wondered. Had the letter instructed her to come to the school building at night? She couldn't have been that naive, could she? Shintaro's eyes narrowed. He smelled a trap. "I better go see what's going on." He then asked, "Why am I talking to myself?" He shrugged and exited the clubroom to see what was Moka doing.

Moka was heading up the stairs to the school rooftop. In her hands was the letter signed by her 'secret admirer'. The letter had instructed her to come to the school roof at this time. It was late, but if the person was waiting for her, then it would be impolite to not give an answer. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her arm. In her panic, she flailed and slapped the assailant across the face, nearly knocking them down the stairs.

"Ow! Moka-chan! That hurt!" Shintaro cried, a hand to his now stinging cheek.

"Shintaro-kun?" Moka asked.

"Yeah," he said, rubbing his cheek. "What are you doing here?"

"The letter told me to come," she said.

"And you just did as it said?" he asked. She nodded. "That's not exactly smart, Moka-chan." He wasn't calling her stupid, just her decision.

"But he's been waiting," she said. "It would be rude to keep them waiting."

"Well, it could be a trap to lure you out here, alone," he countered. "You are a beautiful girl and some guys can't help but take advantage of that."

"I'm beautiful?" she asked, blushing.

"Inside and out," he said honestly, "But a bit naive. You trust people way too easily." She deflated, "But then again, you just need to be more careful when trusting people. It's not a bad thing to trust others, it's just a matter of caution."

"I understand," said Moka. "It's just that I've never gotten a love letter before."

"Really? A pretty girl like you, I thought you'd have gotten a ton of them by now," said Shintaro.

"Thank you," she said, blushing. Shintaro could just be so sweet and he was honest about it too.

"You're welcome. Now, let's not keep your secret admirer waiting," he said.

"We're still going to meet him?" she asked.

"Well, you did say it'd be rude to keep him waiting. At least with me around, if he turns violent, you'll have someone to protect you," he reasoned. Moka smiled and the pair walked up to the roof entrance. When Moka and Shintaro got to the roof, there was Moka's 'secret admirer' waiting for her. He had his back turned to them and wearing the standard uniform. His dark hair was also visible.

"Excuse me, were you the one that gave me the letter?" she asked.

"Moka..." the secret admirer growled, "Akashiya..." Shintaro's eyes narrowed. That growl didn't sound friendly. Then again, when did a growl ever sound friendly at all? It was the secret admirer's next words that would surprise him, "Kuro-no-Shinigami..."

"Moka-chan!" Shintaro shouted as the secret admirer howled and transformed, his clothes tearing apart as he did.

"A werewolf!" exclaimed Moka.

"No, much worse," said Shintaro as the werewolf began to change further, gaining armor plates along his spine, shoulder blades, pectorals, forearms, shoulders, thighs and shins. His fur turned purple as it turned to look at them with red eyes. The teeth were sharp, razor sharp, and the claws looked like they were made of steel. The Wolf Freak then opened its mouth, which separated four ways, giving it a more horrendous appearance as it howled. The howl nearly blew Moka and Shintaro off their feet.

"I knew this was a trap!" shouted Shintaro. He moved to shield Moka, afraid that this Freak would attack her.

"Astute as always, Kuro-no-Shinigami," spoke another person who was present. He was sitting on the fence surrounding the edge of the school roof. It was the Man in White. "How do you like my handiwork?"

"These monsters are your doing?" questioned Shintaro accusingly.

"Again, very correct," said the Man in White as he stood up and walked along the top of the fence without losing his balance. "It's amazing how well my Freak Chips can integrate with the biology of the monsters here. Then again, why shouldn't they be amazing? They are my creation, after all."

"Freak Chips?" Shintaro repeated. Why did it sound so familiar?

"Ah, I see you don't remember," said the Man in White, "Then that means, from your present perspective, this is our first meeting."

"How do you know who I am?" Shintaro asked.

"I've been watching you, Kuro-no-Shinigami," said the Man in White.

"Stop calling me that! Why do you keep calling me that!?" Shintaro shouted.

"Oh, if you remembered, then you'd know that the title suits you," said Man in White, "However, I will not be providing you that answer. The only answer I will give you is my name. You must be wondering that."

The Man in White said, arms spread to the side, "Call me...SHIROKU!" He then leaned his body back and fell off the fence to the ground below. Shintaro ran towards the fence but was stopped by the Wolf Freak who slashed at him with its claws. Blood splattered as the front of Shintaro's shirt was slashed open. He staggered backwards, grunting in pain.

"Shintaro-kun!" Moka cried as she ran to help him.

"Moka-chan, stay back!" Shintaro shouted. The Wolf Freak blurred out of sight and Shintaro screamed as he was slashed again across the back, then the front, and along his arms and legs. There were bleeding cuts all over his body now, red blood soaking his clothes and more staining the floor around them.

"Shintaro-kun!" Moka cried as she watched him collapse to his knees.

"I...I won't...DIE HERE!" Shintaro exclaimed, "HENSHIN!" The Wolf Freak lunged at Shintaro but was blasted back by the light of Shintaro's transformation. Kai now stood, his injuries healed, as he was clad in his armor. "Alright, now see how you fight an opponent who can fight back!" Kai then blurred out of sight. Moka could only watch as the two blurs, one being the Wolf Freak and the other being Kai, clashed violently. While she couldn't see them clearly, she could hear the blows that connected. She also saw the light resulting from the clash as sparks flew from the two fighting. When the two stopped moving, she could see them grappling.

"Damn...you're one fast...dog, aren't you?" grunted Kai. The Wolf Freak's mouth opened and Kai was blasted with a sonic howl. It was painful and his scream reflected it, "AAAAHHHH!" He fell to his knees as a result of the attack, stunned, with ringing in his ears. The Wolf Freak then lifted Kai up and slashed him several times before kicking him through the air, sending him tumbling before he landed roughly on the ground.

"Kuso..." Kai gasped. He saw the Wolf Freak coming at him. "Stop!" He pointed his hand at the Wolf Freak to freeze him but his opponent moved out of the way. He was now above Kai and the Rider was smashed into the floor. "GAH!"

Moka could only watch, helpless, as Kai was being beaten within an inch of his life. "No..." She clenched her seal. If only she could remove it, her inner self could help. Why was she so weak? Why couldn't she help Shintaro? All of a sudden, knives made of ice flew past Moka and struck the Wolf Freak in the chest. He howled in pain. Then, all of a sudden, an entire bathtub was flung through the air, smashing into the Wolf Freak's face, knocking him away from Kai. Finally, Moka saw Kurumu, flying past her and picking Kai up before dragging him back a safe distance.

"Girls!?" Moka exclaimed as she turned to see Yukari and Mizore at the threshold of the roof entrance.

"I wanted to come to help Shintaro," said Kurumu as she gently laid Kai down.

"So did we," Mizore added with Yukari nodding.

"What is that? Another one of those freaky monsters?" Kurumu asked. "Did it do this to Shintaro?" Moka nodded.

"It's the secret admirer, isn't it?" Mizore asked. "Why do you have to cause so much trouble for Shintaro?" Mizore accused Moka, upsetting her.

"...Not her fault," said Kai as he forced himself to sit up. His body glowed as he reversed the damage done. "It's fine. I can still fight."

"But he's fast, way faster than you," said Yukari.

Kai ignored Yukari and stood up. "Doesn't mean I can't beat him." That was when the plates on his armor, the stone in his belt and his eyes glowed violet. "I'll just have to stop him from moving." They all watched, entranced, as his armor changed. His torso armor turned silver along with his gloves and boots. The bodysuit also changed, gaining star-like dots all over it.

He had activated Gravity Form.

Kai looked down at his silver-gloved hands and nodded, somehow knowing what this form could do. "This will work."

The Wolf Freak howled and lunged for them, but all of a sudden it could not move. It moved its legs to run, but could not touch the ground. It then realized that it had been lifted up into the air. It looked at Kai, a white aura surrounding the Rider's body. The Rider then raised his arm up and threw the Wolf Freak up in the air.

"Is that levitation?" Kurumu asked.

"No, he's controlling gravity," said Yukari.

"Is that even possible?" Mizore questioned.

Kai then threw his arm down and the Wolf Freak came crashing down, creating an imprint of itself in the floor. The Wolf Freak tried to resist the gravitational force pressing down on it, but Kai would not have that. He advanced on the Wolf Freak who was immobilized and incapacitated. Kai then raised his arm and the Wolf Freak was raised into the air before Kai smashed him to the floor once more. Kai released the Wolf Freak and the Wolf Freak lunged, but his movements were sluggish as Kai easily dodged him. Kai had actually increased the Wolf Freak's gravity, preventing his super speed.

Now was his chance. Kai then performed a barrage of punches that hit the Wolf Freak. The Wolf Freak was sent staggering back from the hits. It tried another sonic howl but Kai squeezed the Wolf Freak's mouth shut then performed a Judo throw that sent the Wolf Freak crashing violently with the gate.

"Now, Time's Up for you," Kai declared as the Wolf Freak recovered and lunged for him. The purple plates on Kai's armor, the eyes and the stone in his belt glowed brightly as he gathered the power gravitational forces into his right fist. "TAKE THIS!" He cried in his mind next, '_**Graviton Fist!**_' Kai hit the Wolf Freak with a devastating punch of explosive force. The result: an explosion. Once the smoke cleared, the Wolf Freak was reverted back to his original form, naked. As for the Freak Chip, it disintegrated once the host was defeated.

"Yatta..." Kai took a deep breath as his armor vanished. He turned to look at the girls to smile at them before he collapsed from exhaustion.

* * *

It turned out that the guy who called himself Moka's secret admirer was a 2nd year student named Ginei Morioka, and the only surviving member of the Newspaper Club. He had a love of photography, but his subject matter was questionable. It was because Ginei kept his collection on him and the girls had found scattered on the rooftop pictures of Moka, which she had never given permission for anyone to take. They were pictures of her changing in the locker room, pictures of her stretching during PE, and pictures of her taken while she was just taking a walk.

He was starting to look like a creepy stalker. That was Mizore's observation, ironically.

Ginei was put in the campus hospital to recover, much like Wanibuchi and his gang along with the Swim Team. The Freak Chips had really done a number on them.

As for Shintaro, he was resting in the infirmary. Fortunately, his injuries had been healed when he used his powers to reverse his damage. Unfortunately, as a result, he had fallen unconscious due to fatigue. At the moment, he was just regaining consciousness and found himself in the infirmary. That was when Moka entered the infirmary to see that he had woken up.

"Moka-chan?" Shintaro questioned. She looked regretful and he knew why.

"Shintaro-kun, I'm sorry about what happened," she said.

"It's alright," he said, "Just be more careful about the letters you receive next time?"

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"Drained, and curious," he said. "Did you remember what Shiroku called me?"

"He called you 'Kuro-no-Shinigami'."

"That's right, and the others have called me the same thing. I intend to find out why," he swore.

* * *

**A/N: Well that's Chapter 4 of **_**Kamen Rider Kai**_**. This also debuts Kamen Rider Kai Gravity Form which has the ability to control gravity. While not a flashy transformation, this form gets the job done, subduing the Wolf Freak. Also, the mysterious Man in White formally introduces himself to the group and gives his name, Shiroku. He seems to know Shintaro since he calls him 'Kuro-no-Shinigami'. Who is Shiroku to Shintaro, who does he work for, and why doesn't Shintaro remember him? Topper must have the answer but isn't telling. Well, stay tune for what happens next.**


	5. Protecting Innocence

**Chapter 5: Protecting Innocence**

The following day, once Shintaro had recovered his strength, he went to visit their new club room and saw that the girls had decorated it in his absence. He was touched, actually, and almost shed a tear of joy. Of course, his thoughts were also focused on another matter, namely the mysterious Shiroku. Who was Shiroku and what was he planning? Why was he turning his schoolmates into these Freak monsters? And, why did he seem to know Shintaro?

* * *

Two months had passed since Shintaro started school in Youkai Academy and it was after midterms. The results had been put up on the bulletin board. A few students let out wails of mortification because they had gotten very low scores and some were indifferent. Yukari Sendou stared proudly as she was ranked 1st amongst the first years.

"Congratulations, Yukari-chan!" Moka praised and Yukari beamed.

"You didn't do too bad yourself, Moka-san," Yukari pointed. Moka was in 13th place.

"I should study harder," said Moka. Mizore was staring at the board intently. "Looking for your name?"

"I found it. I got 23rd place," said Mizore. "I found Shintaro's name," she pointed. Moka and Yukari looked to see that Shintaro's name was in 2nd place.

"Wow," said Moka. "Now that's amazing."

"Of course! Shintaro-san's smart too!" Yukari stated.

Kurumu, however, was a little depressed. She hadn't studied and goofed off before midterms, so she was amongst the people placed at the end of the list. She felt a little ashamed.

"Hey, where is Shintaro-san?" Yukari asked as she looked around for the boy in question. He was mysteriously absent. Moka, Mizore and Kurumu were wondering the same thing.

* * *

Shintaro was in the courtyard. Actually, he was up in a tree, lying on a tree branch. He was wearing a cap with soda cans attached to it and drinking through bendy straws. In his hands was a book which he was reading intently. He was also listening to music on his MP3 player, wearing wireless headphones.

He felt his phone vibrate and picked it up. Removing his headphones, he put his phone against his ear to answer.

"Moshi moshi?" he asked.

"_Aloha, Shintaro!"_ It was Kaze's voice on the other end.

Shintaro cocked an eyebrow curiously, "Aloha? What happened to 'bonjour?"

"_Oh, I'm in Hawaii, and it's spectacular!"_

Now Shintaro was _really _curious. "What are you doing in Hawaii?"

"_Oh, Papa sent me on an assignment."_

Shintaro frowned in disapproval, "Sounds like you're having fun."

"_No, I'm on assignment. Papa told me to pick up a cursed Tiki idol."_

Shintaro nodded, "Oh, I see. Well, good luck and try not to get in trouble." He was glad that he wasn't going. Cursed items were not fun to deal with. Experience taught him that.

"_Hah, no promises! Aloha!"_

"Ja ne," Shintaro replied, concluding the heard someone knocking on the tree and blinked. He looked down to see Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari looking up at him. "Girls? What's up?"

"Shintaro-kun, what are you doing up there? Don't you want to look at your midterm results?" Moka asked.

"Nah, don't really care," said Shintaro, shrugging. He did well in class because that was what was expected of him. He didn't really care about his grades. If he did well, it was because the exam was easy.

"What are you wearing on your head?" Kurumu asked, looking at his hat.

"It's a soda drinking cap," he said, pointing at his cap. "It leaves my hands free for reading and I can drink my favorite beverage! It's practical and stylish!"

"It looks ridiculous!" she countered. "Now, come down from there!"

"We don't want to be late for school," said Mizore.

"Hai, hai," Shintaro nodded as he closed the book and leapt off the branch, landing on the grass. "Let's get to class."

"Take off the hat," the girls said simultaneously.

"Aw...you're no fun," he whined.

* * *

It was after school and students either went back to their dorms or gone to their respective clubs. Right now, the History and Archaeology Club was having a meeting. As the lead founding member, Shintaro was the club's president by default.

"So, I was thinking that we could all go and visit museums during summer break and...why are you all looking at me like that?" Shintaro had stopped his speech when he noticed the girls staring at him oddly. "What?"

"I'm sorry, Shintaro-kun, it's just very hard to take you seriously when you're wearing that hat," Moka pointed out. Shintaro was wearing the soda drinking hat. It was quite distracting. The others girls nodded in agreement.

"I told you all before I'm not throwing this away," Shintaro said defensively. "I mean, look at it."

"We are looking at it. That's the problem," said Mizore. "It's an eyesore that draws too much attention to you, and not in a good way."

"It's practical and fashionable," Shintaro argued defensively.

"OK, I won't argue about it being practical because you can actually drink your sodas hands free, but in what country is that fashionable?" Kurumu questioned.

"In the USA during the Super Bowl," Shintaro said. The girls gave him blanks looks. They had obviously never heard of the Super Bowl. "You know, American Football?" Still he got blank looks. "OK, sports fans wear these so they can hold their snacks! Also, gamers too! And people who love to read but can't put the book down." He asked Yukari, "Yukari-chan, you agree that this hat is good, right?"

"It's the stupidest thing I've ever seen," said Yukari honestly and bluntly. Shintaro's left eyebrow twitched. He would've said something about _her _hat, but he wouldn't. It looked cute on her.

The door opened and Smith-sensei entered. "Sorry I'm late, kids," he apologized. "Had some extra work to care of before I could come."

"We were just getting started, Smith-sensei," Shintaro said.

"Wow, is that a soda drinking hat? I haven't seen one in ages!" Smith-sensei said as he studied the hat.

"Sensei, you actually like that hat?" Moka asked, surprised.

"Well, it looks weird, but it's practical and part of the fashion of sports fanatics," said Smith-sensei.

"Finally, someone who understands!" exclaimed Shintaro in relief.

"You know, I wouldn't mind having one," said Smith-sensei.

"Well, I can't just give it to you," said Shintaro, "But I will trade it with you for something."

"What do you want for it?" Smith-sensei asked.

"What have you got?" Shintaro inquired.

"I actually got a fez. Is that good?" Smith-sensei offered.

"Well, can I put my soda in it and drink from it?"

"I don't believe this," said Kurumu. "They both have really bad taste in hats."

"Can we please return to the meeting?" pleaded Moka impatiently.

"Oh, right," Shintaro realized. They were in the middle of a meeting. "OK, back on topic."

"And take off the hat," she commanded. Shintaro pouted and took off his hat before putting it down under his chair. "Good." Now she didn't have to look at it.

"OK, where was I?" Shintaro asked.

"You were making plans for what we would do during summer break," reminded Mizore. "You said we were going to be visiting museums."

"Yep, museums," Shintaro confirmed.

"Sounds boring," whined Kurumu. "I wanna go to the beach."

"We can still have fun," said Shintaro. "But we're the History and Archaeology Club and we do need to do something that fits our club's objective."

"Shintaro is correct," agreed Smith-sensei. "Your club has to go to at least one museum or you'll be shutdown. School rules."

"But in the human world?" Yukari asked, looking nervous.

"What's wrong, Yukari-chan?" Shintaro asked.

"The human world is scary," said Yukari.

"Well, I won't disagree," said Shintaro. "The world can be a big and scary place," he continued before giving her a grin, "But that's what makes it fun to explore." Smith-sensei's smile also matched Shintaro's grin.

"Do you have a list of museums you wish to visit?" Smith-sensei asked.

"I'm still compiling," said Shintaro as he took out a folded sheet of paper before handing it to Smith-sensei, "But here's what I got."

Smith-sensei unfolded the sheet and checked the list. "Miskatonic University?" he asked.

"There's a branch of the school in the city where my guardian's pawn shop is," Shintaro said. "Their campus museum has a lot of interesting items on display." Smith-sensei nodded.

"OK, I like the list so far," said Smith-sensei, handing it back to Shintaro. "Provide me with a complete list in two weeks so I can make arrangements."

"Hai, sensei," Shintaro nodded.

"You know, we really need to start doing something exciting," Kurumu yawned. "I love hanging out with you guys but I thought this club would be exciting."

"Of course I won't forget that," said Shintaro. "That's why we'll be exploring the entire place this weekend." The girls looked at him.

"Exploring?" they repeated.

"Well, Youkai Academy has to have mysteries, right?" he asked. "Maybe caves that have stuff hidden in them? Secrets? Buried treasure?"

Moka smiled in amusement, "Buried treasure, really?"

"Well, it's possible," said Shintaro. "I mean this place wasn't always a school and the area surrounding campus is mostly forest, with some deserted spots. I was thinking we could take a look around."

"I will go with you," offered Mizore as she scooted in close to him.

"Good, because I've already plot a route for us," Shintaro said as he unrolled the map on the table. He grinned, "Man, this is gonna be so much fun!"

* * *

As the group headed back to the dorms, Moka asked Shintaro, "I noticed you've been spending a lot of time in the library."

"I've been studying Youkai Academy's history, and there's a lot of mentions of the Three Dark Lords who founded this place," Shintaro said. "However, none of the books tell me who they are. It's just the Three Dark Lords, over and over. No individual names or pictures." He seemed annoyed.

"I guess they wanted to remain anonymous," reasoned Moka.

"But why? Why keep their identities a secret? It's not like it'd matter since they should be long gone by now, right?" he asked.

"Maybe not," she said. "Youkai who receive the title of 'Dark Lord' are often long lived."

"Immortal?" he asked.

"Maybe," she said, "Or they have long lifespans."

"Still doesn't explain why they need their identities to be kept a secret," said Shintaro. It was a mystery and a mystery was something to be solved.

"You really do love uncovering secrets, don't you?" she asked.

"I work in a pawn shop, and the items we receive often have a lot of history tied to them. So many questions that I want answered. It's what gotten me into archaeology, I guess. I wanna major in it when I go into university," he said. "Miskatonic University, to be precise."

"Sounds like a nice dream," she admired.

"Archaeology is like an adventure," he replied, "That's why I don't like dead ends. There shouldn't be any. There should be an answer."

* * *

The following day, Shintaro's class was having PE. The teacher, Kotsubo-sensei, was watching and shouting out instructions. Of course, his gaze would often wander towards the girl who were doing stretched. As the girls wore bloomers, he could see their legs and also their tight butts. Oh, he so loved being a PE teacher. It gave him a lot of young eye candy to ogle. One girl in particular really got his attention. It was the girl with pale skin and purple hair called Mizore Shirayuki. She was a beauty.

Kotsubo was a lecher. He didn't deny it. He was lusty and that was all there was to it. Fortunately, his position allowed him to leer at all the girls he wanted and get away with it since he had to teach girls as well as boys. It also afforded him an excuse to get closer to the girls if he needed to.

Mizore Shirayuki was his target for that semester. Every semester he'd pick a girl and then decide on how best to go have fun with her. With his..._skills,_ he could make sure he was never exposed and no one would be the wiser. Mizore being a yuki-onna would just make it much easier. Yuki-onna could only get pregnant during a certain period in their lives and Mizore wasn't there yet. That meant he could go farther than the others and never have to worry about some little brat popping out nine months later.

Getting her alone would be a little bit of a trick. She always hung out with that punk Shintaro who was fighting his way through the delinquents and trash in the school. Also the newest school idol, the runner up, and the loli were always around her too so she was rarely alone. Making it more difficult was the fact that she had an odd ability to sneak anywhere and no one was the wiser, making keeping tabs on her difficult.

But she wasn't impossible to follow.

He licked his lips as a plan came together in his mind. He then shouted back at the boys running laps on the field, "Two more laps!"

* * *

**After PE...**

"Oi, Shirayuki!" Kotsubo-sensei shouted to Mizore as she was headed back to the changing room with the other girls.

"I'll see you later," Mizore said to Moka and Kurumu who nodded. She jogged towards Kotsubo-sensei. "Yes, sensei?"

"The equipment shed is a mess," he said. "I need help tidying it up. Do you mind?"

"I don't mind, sensei. I'll help you," she said. Kotsubo-sensei smiled.

"Good, come with me," said Kotsubo-sensei.

Shintaro watched as Kotsubo-sensei led Mizore to the sports equipment shed. For some reason, the way Kotsubo-sensei was smiling was causing warning bells to go off in Shintaro's head. As the boys were headed back to their own changing room, he slipped away to follow.

* * *

In the sports equipment shed, Kotsubo was behind Mizore. He swiftly put his arms around her and pressed a cloth soaked in chloroform over her mouth and nose before she could scream. Whatever struggles she was attempting were subdued as she slowly lost consciousness. Kotsubo-sensei grinned as his erection pressed against her butt. "Works like a charm, as always." He then gently lay Mizore over the sports mat on the floor. He took a moment to admire his latest conquest. The way she looked, so helpless, and ready for him turned him on. Apparently, this was not his first time doing this. None of the girls he had taken advantage of had been able to report him as they had no proof.

As he took off the jacket of his tracksuit, he did not notice Shintaro standing behind him with a baseball bat over his head. Kotsubo was in the middle of pulling down his tracksuit bottoms when he finally noticed Shintaro take a swing. However, it was too late and Kotsubo-sensei had no time to react before the baseball bat connected with his skull.

**THWACK!**

* * *

When Mizore regained consciousness, she found herself in the infirmary, lying in one of the beds. She also saw that Shintaro was with her, sitting on the chair next to her bed.

"You're awake," he said, sounding relieved.

Mizore sat up and asked, "What happened?"

Shintaro wasn't sure what to say, but Mizore deserved to know the truth, so he confessed, "Kotsubo-sensei lured you to the sports equipment shed to take advantage of you. He knocked you out with chloroform. By the time I found you, he was about to take off his pants, so I whacked him over the head with a baseball bat and knocked him out." Mizore gasped in surprise. She had never thought Kotsubo-sensei would do such a thing, but Shintaro would never lie to her about something like this. Kotsubo-sensei had almost taken something precious for her. It was Shintaro's timely intervention which had saved her virginity.

"Where is he now?" Mizore asked.

"I left him in the shed. The only thing I cared about was getting you here and making sure you were alright," he said. He then surprised Mizore by embracing her. His arms went under hers to wrap around her torso, his hands pressed against her back as he pulled her to him. "I'm just glad I got there in time. Who knows what would've happened if I didn't go and check." Shintaro had trusted his instincts and that had saved Mizore.

Mizore put her arms around Shintaro, hugging him tight. She was falling more and more in love with this young man who had done more than just befriend her. He had saved her in a way that meant so much for her. Kotsubo-sensei could've taken something that could not be returned but Shintaro had shown up and rescued her. It was so romantic.

Shintaro didn't let go. He held Mizore, comforted by the fact she was safe. She was his friend, one of his best friends, and he was just so relieved that she was not harmed in anyway.

"What will happen to Kotsubo-sensei now?" she asked.

"I reported him to Smith-sensei. He said he would take care of it," said Shintaro. To be honest, he had wanted to kill the disgusting PE teacher. He had tried to take advantage of Mizore, violate her and steal her precious virginity. It took all of Shintaro's restraint as not to succumb to the temptation of wanting to bludgeon the man to death.

Right now, he simply wanted to continue holding this girl who meant so much to him, comforted by the fact that she was safe and sound.

* * *

John Smith-sensei found Kotsubo-sensei just as the PE teacher was regaining consciousness. The red-haired teacher had a splitting headache and turned towards the entrance of the sports equipment shed to see Smith-sensei standing there.

"You shouldn't have gone after one of my precious students," said Smith-sensei coldly, his violet eyes glowing. Kotsubo-sensei was speechless. He wanted to scream but he couldn't. He wanted to get away, but his legs would not obey. He was frozen in terror as Smith-sensei stood over him menacingly.

* * *

With Kotsubo's crime reported, an investigation would be taking place and once Kotsubo had recovered, he would be put through an intense inquiry. Speaking of Kotsubo, he was resting in the hospital so he could recover from his injuries. However, once the reason behind those injuries were learnt, not a lot of the hospital staff were willing to help him. Some of the doctors and nurses had daughters themselves so it stood to reason why they would be reluctant to give him medical help. However, they still had a duty. They didn't have to like it, but he was a patient and needed to be cared for, even if he was a disgusting pervert who preyed on young girls.

Tonight, Kotsubo would have an unscheduled visitor.

Shiroku found Kotsubo's hospital room and entered without trouble. He found the former PE teacher's bed and grinned.

"Time for some fun," said Shiroku with a grin as he held a Freak Chip over Kotsubo's forehead.

* * *

"Dinner is served," Shintaro said as he put the two plates down. On each plate was omu-rice, piping hot since he had just finished cooking over the stove. To be precise, he'd been cooking using Mizore's stove.

Mizore was back to wearing her usual clothes. After the attempted sexual assault by Kotsubo, Shintaro had decided to keep Mizore company for the night. He hadn't told the other girls. He promised himself to tell them later. Mizore, however, was excited when Shintaro told her that he would be sleeping over in her dorm room. He clarified that it would be only for one night since he wanted to make sure she would be OK. It was just fortunate that he'd saved her before Kotsubo got a chance to do anything.

Shintaro understood the kind of trauma rape could inflict on a girl. To be violated, to be mentally and emotionally scarred, and to feel dirty in and out were not feelings he wanted Mizore to endure. He'd once read an article of a girl who'd been raped. She had taken her own life since she couldn't live with the shame. Mizore was someone precious to him, and the thought of some lowlife taking advantage of her and stealing something precious to her that could never be given back horrified him completely.

He wanted to be there for his friends, to protect them. According to Yukari, those who possessed the title 'Kamen Rider' had a duty to protect the innocent and that was what he'd done. He had protected Mizore's innocence. Mizore had, much to his embarrassment, confessed that if she were to give up her innocence, it would be for him. She would save herself for the right time. Shintaro had told her, in no fewer words that, while he was flattered, that they weren't in that kind of relationship.

She had asked if they could be and Shintaro wondered if it was possible. He was friends with a group of very beautiful girls. Some of his male classmates even joked that he had a harem. Shintaro didn't think so. Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari were his friends. They were his only friends in this school since he hadn't made any other friends among the boys. Just friendly acquaintances. He once swore he would make some guy friends, but so far that hadn't happened. He was aware the girls had romantic feelings for him, but he just felt he wasn't ready.

Or was he? Mizore had asked if he would consider having her as a girlfriend. He hadn't answered, but looking at her, he realized that she was so beautiful. Moka was pretty and Kurumu was sexy with her curvy figure, but Mizore was just so beautiful. She was also his stalker. She thought he didn't notice but he did. He always felt like he was being watched by her. It really didn't creep him out when he felt a chill. That chill signified her presence.

He had been in this school for two months already and had girls who loved him. Kaze would tell him to just man up and get a girlfriend since his youth was short. Shintaro would counter that Kaze didn't have a right to tell him to get a girlfriend. From what Shintaro saw, Kaze went out with a different girl every other night. He liked to go on dates, but never had a relationship with a girl. Well, there were 'friends with benefits', but that was not the type of relationship Shintaro wanted with any girl.

He glanced at Mizore. Mizore was someone precious to him, and he would be lying if he said that hadn't considered making her his girlfriend. He had gone out on a date with her and actually had fun. But being in a relationship meant more than about having fun. Being in a relationship meant opening up to others, sharing feelings and secrets. Shintaro just wasn't ready to share his secrets. Heck, he probably had secrets he didn't even know he had.

For as long as he could remember, he had stayed with Topper. Topper seemed to know him and about his past, but left Shintaro to wonder. Topper, however, had a reason for it and Shintaro trusted him. He was just annoyed and frustrated from the lack of a straight answer. The man spoke in riddles and Kaze wasn't any better, but they were his only family. He still trusted them, even if they were obviously keeping secrets from him.

"This is good," said Mizore. As the food was hot, she used her breath to cool it down. "Very good," she said. Shintaro was her crush, but he wasn't the first crush she had. There had been another, back when she'd been young, but he'd broken her heart. It hurt, but she hadn't been deterred. As a yuki-onna, she had a responsibility to her race and also to herself to find a man who would love her, despite her abnormalities. When Shintaro had come to help her move in, without a reason to, she had fixated on him. He had accepted her friendship without hesitation in return. That made her happy and each day she found herself falling further and further in love with him.

Shintaro was a mystery to her. He admitted that he had lived in the human world but was not human. In fact, he wasn't even sure what he was. He did take on the title 'Kamen Rider' when Yukari had seen his transformation and Mizore thought that it really befitted him. She knew he had secrets. Everyone had secrets, but Shintaro didn't even know what those secrets were. Sometimes she would watch him from afar. She knew he liked to spend time in the library, so she hid herself to watch him. He would know she was there and invite her over to sit with him. She hesitantly joined but she loved his company too and he also confessed he enjoyed having her around. Correction: having her and the other girls around. The other girls, while friends, were obstacles. They also loved him, but Mizore felt that she loved Shintaro the most.

Earlier, Shintaro had saved her. Kotsubo-sensei...well after today he probably wouldn't be a teacher anymore...Kotsubo had lured her away and knocked her out with chloroform. His intent was to rape her and he hadn't wanted her to fight back. He would've taken her virginity and she wouldn't have been able to stop him. Fortunately for her, Shintaro had been there to save her. That was what he did. He saved people, but she felt that he'd saved her because he cared about her, a lot, and he did. He had taken her to the infirmary and waited for her to wake up, and then escorted her back to her dorm before offering to stay for the night to keep her company. She was touched. His presence just filled her heart with so much joy.

She had written to her mother a lot about Shintaro, and her mother had advised her to win his heart as swiftly as possible. Mizore knew that. She wanted Shintaro all to herself. However, she also knew she couldn't force him to love her. She would need to be patient and thought that by watching him, she would learn enough to win her heart. She had been able to learn that he dreamed to be an archaeologist, that he lived and worked in a pawn shop, and that he was powerful. She also learnt he was brave, passionate and also kind. He was also funny and knew how to crack jokes to make her laugh. The soda drinking hat was ridiculous and she had nearly laughed. He knew how to enjoy life.

So, how was she going to go about convincing him to make her his girlfriend? She didn't have much experience and he obviously didn't either. He was probably afraid of making the first move. He valued his friendships and didn't want to overcomplicate or ruin things as they were. Still, something had to change. Someone had to make the first move.

Someone did make a move. Someone was pounding on the door of her dorm room, causing both Shintaro and Mizore to look up from their dinner.

"Are you expecting anybody?" Shintaro asked Mizore and she shook her head. His eyes narrowed. "Stay here," he cautioned and stood up to deal with the situation. He went to stand at the door, his fingers flexing, before taking hold of the handle and giving it a twist. When the door was flung open, Shintaro received several punches to the face, knocking him down. Mizore, hearing the commotion, and swiftly went to the foyer to see a an ugly creature.

It was a hideous looking, octopus-like creature with eight tentacles for arms, each ending with a fist, a beak-like mouth set in its chest, reddish-brown skin, and a large head that looked like an exposed brain. Its eyes were red and it had trunk-like legs covered in suction cups. Shintaro was on the floor, having been knocked down. Mizore narrowed her eyes and with a wave of her arm, sent a volley of ice kunai at the Octopus Freak. The kunai hit their mark and the Octopus Freak shrieked before focusing its gaze on Mizore.

Shintaro, realizing the kind of danger this creature might pose to Mizore, immediately acted. He flipped to his feet and tackled into the creature, sending both of them out of her dorm.

"Shintaro!" Mizore cried.

"Mizore, stay here! I'll handle it!" he shouted. He then grabbed hold of the struggling Octopus Freak and leapt up and over the railing of the corridor, taking the Octopus Freak with him.

"Shintaro!" Mizore screamed and looked over the railing to watch them drop.

"Henshin!" Shintaro shouted and his belt flashed before the light engulfed him, donning him in his armor. He and his opponent crashed to the ground then broke apart after he kicked the Octopus Freak backwards. The Octopus Freak hissed then looked up at Mizore. It launched two tentacles up at her but Kai swiftly slashed at the Octopus Freak's back with his Twin Edge Chrono Blade. The Octopus Freak screeched and turned its attention back to Kai. It wrapped its tentacles around the weapon and tore it from Kai's grip before following up with a barrage of punches. Kai dodged the punches with ease, his body blurring from side to side. With his speed, the punches would've been coming at slow motion.

Quickly closing the distance, Kai executed a series of super quick kicks, his leg blurring as he hit the Octopus Freak repeatedly before blasting it backwards. The Octopus Freak recovered and shot a black ball of ink directly into Kai's face. Kai hadn't been able to dodge in time.

"ARGH! That's gross!" Kai shouted. With the black ink covering his eyes, he was blind. Blind and vulnerable. The Octopus Freak shot its tentacles at Kai, wrapping them around his limbs and torso. Kai struggled as the tentacles began to constrict tightly around him. If it squeezed any tighter, his bones would be crushed and he wouldn't be able to breathe. However, he already had a plan to get out of this. His eyes and the crystal in his belt turned blue as the rest of his armor changed color, activating his Tempest Form. Then, he activated his electrical powers, electrocuting the Octopus Freak through its tentacles. This forced the Octopus Freak to release Kai. At the same time, Kai washed the ink off his eyes.

"Now, time to send you far away!" said Kai as he shifted again, changing into his Gravity Form. The purple plates and eyes glowed as he caught the Octopus Freak in his gravitational field. Then, he sent the Octopus Freak skyward. Kai looked up and then leapt up, taking off like a rocket as he flew after the airborne Freak. Mizore witnessed him flying with her own eyes.

"He can fly," she uttered in amazement.

Meanwhile, Kai was admiring the overhead view he had. He was flying! Actually flying! It was incredible! He could see every inch of this place where Youkai Academy was located. He could see the forest, the cemetery, the blood red sea and the school itself. It was incredible, breathtaking even.

"Sugei..." Kai whispered but then he focused as his sights were locked on his target who was floating in the sky because of his gravity manipulation powers. His armored plates and eyes glowed as purple energy collected in his hands. '_**Graviton Crusher!**_' he named the attack in his head. He cupped his hands in front of himself and fired an orb of purple energy which connected with his target. The orb then grew in size, engulfing the Octopus Freak before it started to shrink, crushing the enemy within. "It's Time's Up for you!"

The Octopus Freak exploded and Kai could see something falling from the explosion. He swooped down and was surprised by what he caught.

Mizore had gone downstairs to wait for Kai's return. She then saw him coming down in his silver-armored form, carrying something under his right arm. When he landed, she could see that it was Kotsubo, a very injured Kotsubo.

* * *

The Public Safety Commission, also commonly known as the Student Police, was in a meeting. Playing on a projector screen was Kamen Rider Kai fighting against the Sea Serpent Freak. It would appear he was the topic of their discussion. Another scene of Kai fighting the Lizard Freak was also shown.

"It seems that this person has been causing quite a stir," said Kuyou, the leader of the Student Police. He, like the rest of his members, wore a different uniform from the rest of the students. They wore black and white coats to show off their status as the Student Police. "He's undermining our authority and making us look bad."

With Shintaro/Kai obviously breaking the rules, they were trying to find a way to put him away for good. However, according to witnesses, he had only fought to protect his fellow schoolmates. Taking him away would obviously face protests from the students, so they needed to find some kind of charge to put against him. Just recently, they learnt he had assaulted Kotsubo-sensei, but John Smith-sensei had explained that Shintaro had only done so to protect a friend from being sexually assaulted by the former PE teacher.

As they pondered, the Man in White suddenly made his presence known.

"Nice conference room, but it need a little bit more lightning," Shiroku said. He had appeared out of nowhere and standing atop the table in the middle of the Student Police's conference room.

"Who are you!?" Kuyou exclaimed, startled by the stranger's appearance. "How did you get in here!?"

"Through the door," Shiroku pointed. He turned to look at the projector screen. "Ah, so I see. I guess if this is about him, it must be important."

"Do you know him?" Kuyou asked. Shiroku squatted down so he was at eye level with Kuyou.

"Oh, he and I go way back, really way back. I actually know a lot about your little subject of interest. Very interesting information," Shiroku explained.

"Such as?" Kuyou questioned, interested. Suddenly, Shiroku was behind him. They hadn't even seen him move.

"Oh, such as the fact that he's human-well _used _to be human," Shiroku said. That caused an uproar of outrage amongst the members of the Student Police. A human in their sacred academy? How could that be?

"SILENCE!" Kuyou commanded. He then addressed Shiroku, "What do you mean 'used to be human'?"

Shiroku had a copy of the handbook open and reading a passage, "Hm, 'any human caught on academy grounds are to be executed'. A bit extreme, in my opinion."

"For the sake of the academy, humans must be destroyed," Kuyou said resolutely. "Now, explain yourself."

"Well, he was born human, but with all the modifications he's gone through he might as well be not human anyway. At present, he's no more human than you or I," Shiroku.

"Even so, he carries the stink of humanity. He must be destroyed," Kuyou declared.

"Oh, that I must agree," said Shiroku as he put away the handbook, "But are you sure the rules would apply to a _former _human?"

"He is an abomination, a freak of human science. We can simply say he was a spy modified by humans to infiltrate the school, posing as one of us," Kuyou said. Shiroku smirked.

"Fantastic! I like your style!" said Shiroku. "My name is Shiroku. Here's my card." He took a business card out of his coat pocket, handing it to Kuyou, "I think you and I are going to be the best of friends." He gave a large, toothy grin.

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: And another chapter comes out for your reading pleasure! Kotsubo's a pervert and got what he deserved. However, trouble is on the horizon as Shiroku has gotten the Student Police involved. This won't be good for Shintaro. Not at all. Will he be able to survive Kuyou's wrath? And what of the girls? Will they stand by him? Well, stay tune for the final chapter of this arc, and also an explosive surprise at the very end. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed.**


	6. The Rider's Justice

**Well, this is the final chapter of this arc. That's why this will end with a bang. I'm just thankful for all the support you've given me and I'm just happy that you enjoy reading this story as much as I do writing it. Now, let's get this show on the road.**

**PS: I really don't care for 'Guest' reviews or reviews from people who don't sign in. Either sign up and review, or don't bother reviewing. I mean, sure, maybe you have your reasons, but if you want anyone to answer your questions that you send via reviews, you should just sign up. Or better yet, sign up and send a PM.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: The Rider's Justice**

The sight of the Public Safety Commission, aka the Student Police, was always intimidating. They were clad in black and white uniforms, setting them apart from the rest of the student body who wore the standard green uniforms. They were enforcers of the school rules and were given rights, privileges and power to do what was necessary to keep the peace and protect the academy.

Of course, that was their public face. Behind the scenes, the Student Police force was corrupt. They would extort money from the other school clubs and those who refused were eliminated by the Student Police, ruthlessly. Nobody could oppose them and those who tried ended up disappearing. Because of this, members of the Student Police possessed a sense of superiority over the regular students. Right now, the Student Police was marching towards one classroom in particular. They were headed for Class 1-B.

* * *

The students of Class 1-B were having their usual break between classes. At one table, a group of students was gathered, chatting about. They were the members of the new History and Archaeology Club. Leading the conversation was Shintaro, who was describing their summer plans for them. Yukari, who was from Class 1-A, would often come over to hang out with her friends. She had made friends among her own classmates, but these friends were her first and closest, especially Shintaro.

"And you have to check out Akihabara," said Shintaro. "There's this shop that has a huge collection of retro video games for sale. Also, cosplay cafes, maid cafes..."

"Maid cafes, hm?" Kurumu smiled. "I'd dress up as a sexy maid for you if you'd like, Darling..." She leaned in but Mizore gently shoved her back. "Hey!"

"Sorry, he's mine," said Mizore as she claimed his right arm possessively. Moka puffed her cheeks in annoyance. They had learnt from Shintaro that Mizore had been attacked but he had saved her. It was why Mizore was being very clingy and lovey-dovey with Shintaro.

"Kaze introduced them to me," said Shintaro.

"You know, you don't really talk a lot about this Kaze person," said Moka. "I mean, you said he's the son of your guardian, but you've never gone into detail."

"Really, I haven't?" Shintaro questioned. The girls nodded. "OK, well Kaze is..." The classroom's door was thrown open allowing the Student Police to come in.

"Is Shintaro Mido present?" Kuyou demanded. The students in the classroom froze. "Well? Is he or isn't he here?"

"Who wants to know?" Shintaro asked as he stood up. Kuyou glared at him before smiling.

"Well, this makes things easier," said Kuyou. He noted Shintaro's stance. He didn't seem intimidated. Well, that would change soon enough. "Shintaro Mido, you are charged with the biggest crime here: being human." Shintaro's classmates all gasped. Murmurs could be heard, murmurs of disbelief and suspicion.

"Are you sure about that?" Shintaro asked.

"You are to come with us, immediately," Kuyou ordered.

"Hey, this is bullshit!" shouted Kurumu. "Shintaro's not human!"

One of the Student Police members stepped forward, "Show some respect to Kuyou-sama!"

"It's alright," said Kuyou, "She's just confused. She, like everyone else, has been deceived."

"It's alright," Shintaro said, putting his hand on Kurumu's shoulder, placating her. "Just calm down. I'll sort this out." He stepped towards the Student Police. "I'll go with you."

"Good," said Kuyou, "At least you're cooperative."

"Shintaro-kun!" Moka cried.

"Don't worry," Shintaro said to her and the girls. "I'll be OK." He then followed the Student Police out of the classroom. Everyone was speechless.

This was bad.

* * *

Shintaro showed no fear or any signs of being intimidated as he was led by the Student Police into an underground dungeon. The only source of light were lamps that hung over their heads and he could see dungeon cells on either side of the path they were on.

"So, Kuyou-san," Shintaro spoke, "How are we supposed to do this? Am I gonna be put on trial? Are you gonna try to force a confession out of me? I mean, you could try waterboarding, but I must warn you I can hold my breath for a really long time." The members of the Student Police scowled and glared at Shintaro threateningly for the way he was speaking to their leader.

"Nothing of the sort. We're not savages," said Kuyou.

'_Could've fooled me_,' thought Shintaro.

"You do know why I brought you here, correct?" Kuyou questioned.

"I'm suspected of being human, which is a crime here according to the rules," Shintaro answered with a shrug. "That is what you said earlier. What I want to know is how you came to this conclusion?"

"It was reported to me by an informant who is a credible source of information," said Kuyou. "However, some things don't add up. The things you can do are not the things humans are capable of. My informant has given me an explanation, but I find his words doubtful."

"So, then I'm not human," Shintaro replied.

"However, you have caused a stir and your actions appear to undermine the authority of the Student Police," Kuyou continued. "That is why you will be detained here, indefinitely."

"What? For making you look bad?" Shintaro asked. He suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck and yelped, "Ow! the hell!?" He spun around to see a girl around his age, dressed in the same black and white uniform as the other members of the Student Police, only tailored for girls. She wore the coat open to reveal a black tube top. She was beautiful, with narrow, reptilian eyes. What really got Shintaro's attention were the snakes she had on her head in place of hair. "Me...Medusa!?"

"Hitomi Ishigami, one of our newest recruits, and a very capable member," introduced Kuyou. "She's also the reason why our cells are so silent." Shintaro hissed in pain and examined one of the cells, only to see that it was filled with a statue, a statue of someone in agony. He examined the cell next to it, which also had a statue, and then another, which also had a statue.

"They're...all..._statues_!" Shintaro exclaimed.

"And you will join them too," said Kuyou. "Already, your body is beginning to go stiff and in a few moments you will turn to stone!"

"BASTARD!" Shintaro roared and lunged at Kuyou. However, the process had already finished and he had turned into a statue, with his hand a few more inches from Kuyou's throat.

"He's got spirit," said Ishigami, "And he's cute too." She asked Kuyou, "Can I keep him?"

"With him the way he is, he won't be a problem anymore. Do with him what you will. Just get him out of my sight," Kuyou ordered.

"Thank you, Kuyou-sama!" Ishigami smiled.

* * *

News of Shintaro's alleged humanity spread throughout the school. That wasn't the worst part. He was also exposed as a Kamen Rider and the Student Police described him in the worst light possible. They told the students that Kamen Riders were monster hunters and for the past 40 years had been hunting monsters to kill them. It seemed that the Student Police's propaganda was working as this prompted angry outcries from the students. Now, nobody would come to Shintaro's defense knowing that he was not only a human, but a monster hunter as well.

However, Moka, Yukari, Kurumu and Mizore had made their decision. Even if Shintaro was a human who had gained special powers, it didn't change the fact that he was their friend. Yukari had seen his kindness, and it didn't matter if he was human. Kurumu and Mizore didn't care either. Besides, what did it matter? He never once showed any type of discrimination against them. In fact, he befriended them. He even befriended Kurumu even though she had tried to turn him into slave using her charm.

And as for being a Kamen Rider, they didn't hunt down monsters for the sake of killing them. Kamen Riders fought monsters to protect the world. So what if they mostly did it to save humans? In the end, they were heroes.

As the girls were exiting the main school building, there stood their history teacher and faculty advisor, John Smith.

"You know, confronting the Student Police will be dangerous," said Smith-sensei. "Some say it's suicide."

"You can't stop us, Sensei," said Moka respectfully.

"I'm not trying to stop you," said Smith-sensei, "I'm just here to wish you luck, and be careful."

"Aren't you coming?" Mizore asked.

"No, I don't think I will be needed," he said. "Just promise to return in one piece. I don't want any of my precious students to turn up dead because they got careless."

"We'll return safely," Moka promised.

"You better hope so. I'm looking forward to that trip you kids have been planning. Would be bad to lose my club when it's only just started," Smith-sensei said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Shiroku was admiring the now petrified Shintaro. "Hm, when he's like this he doesn't seem all that scary." He poked at Shintaro's face, but got no response. "He makes an ugly statue, though."

"Ishigami's bites are always effective," said Kuyou. "I believe our business here is done, then."

"Well, it should look like it is," grinned Shiroku, "But I'd like to hang around and see what else you have to offer. It might be interesting." He tossed Kuyou a camera who caught it. "Come on, take a picture of us! I want to immortalize this moment!"

"You are a very strange person, Shiroku-san," said Kuyou.

"I get that a lot. Most people call me nuts or insane, but I prefer to describe myself as being _eccentric_." grinned the Man in White. "How's this pose?" He leaned against Shintaro, doing the peace sign behind his head to make it look like he had bunny ears.

* * *

Currently, Moka, Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari were making their way to the Student Police's headquarters. The building itself was shrine-like and also surrounded by guards. The guards, seeing them, confronted them.

"This is a restricted area," said one of the guards. "Turn back and walk away."

"That is not going to happen," said Mizore and her freezing aura came out. A blizzard blew forth and the guards were frozen solid.

"Nice work," Kurumu praised. Mizore nodded.

"Now let's find Shintaro-kun and rescue him," said Moka.

"But we might have to fight our way through," said Kurumu. "Can you do it without releasing your seal?"

Moka's hands went around the cross hanging from her choker. She had told Kurumu and Yukari that the seal restricted her powers and only Shintaro could remove it. Her inner self hadn't had a chance to fight in a while. "I want to save him. He's always protected us. It's time for us to return the favor."

"We'll teach those meanies a lesson!" declared Yukari firmly.

"Time to go into the lion's den," said Mizore, her eyes claws ready to hack and slash. Moka looked at her friends. Mizore had ice powers, Kurumu had her wings and claws, and Yukari had her magic. What did regular old Moka have? A violent alter-ego that could fight. However, she couldn't release her alter-ego without Shintaro's help. She wasn't sure how he had done it before, but she actually had a suspicion of how he had done so.

* * *

"Sir, we have intruders!" a member of the Student Police reported as he barged into the room. Shiroku was currently painting the word 'LOSER' across Shintaro's forehead.

"Ah, looks like we have uninvited guests," grinned Shiroku. He asked Shintaro, "Are they your little friends? Have they come for you?" Shintaro couldn't answer and Shiroku giggled in amusement, "Oops, I forgot! Stone can't talk!"

"Intruders?" Kuyou asked. "Are they all female?"

"Yes, the member reported, "A succubus, a yuki-onna, a witch and a vampire!"

"It's _them_," Kuyou scowled. "So, they dare to come and rescue their filthy pet."

"Then you should go greet them, Kuyou-san. They deserve a _warm _welcome," Shiroku suggested. Kuyou agreed and exited the room with Shiroku following. The Man in White was always up for a show. Playing with a statue could get really boring and Shiroku hated boredom.

* * *

The girls arrived in the dungeon with many of the student police members sprawled all over the floor. They were either frozen or slashed. Some even had lumps on their heads and covered in bruises with wash basins littering the floor. Not only that, but there was also a kitchen sink and what appeared to be a large anvil.

"Isn't this place a little too quiet?" Kurumu asked once she noticed something. "I mean, it's a dungeon. And why are the cells full of statues?

"I don't think those are statues," said Yukari as she studied them.

"The witchling is correct," said Kuyou as he entered the dungeon. The girls gasped. "Those are our _guests_."

"Kuyou, where is Shintaro-kuin?" Moka demanded.

"He's safe, for now that is. You're all either very brave or very foolish to come this far," said Kuyou. "Breaking into our base, assaulting our officers, all to free some freak that's neither human nor monster."

"We came to rescue our friend," said Moka. "And we won't let you stop us."

"Moka Akashiya, an S-Class monster known as a vampire," Kuyou said, "However, you had a seal put on your true power. You're as weak as the rest of the rabble as a result. You may have beaten my men, but I am out of your league."

"We'll see about that," said Mizore coldly and she blew another blizzard that froze Kuyou solid. He hadn't even tried to dodge.

"Well, that was easy," Yukari remarked.

"A little too easy," said Moka.

"Come on! He was obviously all talk!" Kurumu gloated. "We beat the big boss! Now we need to go and save-!"

The ice exploded and as the mist settled, the girls could see Kuyou with a flaming aura around his body.

"It seems that you girls need to be taught a lesson," said Kuyou as he cracked his knuckles.

Moka's hand clenched her rosary seal tightly. So, this was their enemy. They could feel the youki that was pouring out of him and it was immense. Almost suffocating. Sweat poured down their faces as Kuyou slowly walked towards them. However, despite the fact that his presence was frightening, the thought of losing Shintaro frightened them even more.

Shintaro was Moka's first friend in like forever. He was kind to her and didn't mind that she was a vampire. He had also, somewhat, gained the respect of her inner self. Shintaro was powerful, but didn't let that power get to his head or make him arrogant. Also, he loved to have fun. Sometimes he could do something completely goofy just to see if he could make them laugh. He was kind, compassionate, fun loving and also courageous. He used his power not to lord over the weak, but to protect the weak. He fought those Freaks so that he could protect those he cared about.

That was true strength and he had even willingly given himself up to protect them. He was willing to give up his freedom and life just so that he could protect them. He hadn't wanted them to be involved. However, he was their friend. No, he was more than that. He was someone Moka loved dearly and she knew the other girls felt the same way.

The red stone in her rosary seal glowed and Moka decided that she wanted that power. No, she _needed _that power. She would endure any pain for that power if it meant saving Shintaro.

With that thought in mind, she tugged on the rosary seal with all her might. Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari attacked, but Kuyou was quick and able to knock them backwards with just a wave of his arm, sending out a blast of fire that forced them to dodge. He was a fire-based youkai. Luckily for Moka, he wasn't a water-based one or he'd be in trouble. Moka still tugged on her rosary seal as the other girls resumed their attack. Mizore's claws did nothing as they melted and Kurumu couldn't get close because of the fire. Yukari's wash basins were batted away without a care by Kuyou.

"Now, time to die," he said.

"NO!" Moka shouted and with a final tug, the rosary seal came off her choker's chain. With the seal removed, Moka screamed as a violent red aura burst from her body. It rivalled Kuyou's own aura. Her hair turned silver, her eyes narrowed and became blood red, and finally her figure became more curvy. She hadn't assumed this form since the confrontation with Saizou and since then it had always been Shintaro who transformed to fight. But this time, this time she was going to be fighting.

"Wow...so cool..." said Yukari in amazement.

"So, that's the real Moka, huh?" Kurumu asked.

"I can feel it," said Kuyou. "So, this is the true power of a vampire, another S-Class being like myself."

"You are going to pay for taking what's mine, Kuyou," said Inner Moka, her eyes glaring at Kuyou, "And you will learn your place!"

"My place?" scowled Kuyou. "The only one who will learn their place here is you!"

* * *

Ishigami was going through Shintaro's pockets. As he had been petrified earlier by her venom, he offered no resistance. Not even an ounce. Only his clothes hadn't turned to stone, which meant she could rummage through his pockets to see what he had on him.

"Right now your friends are probably getting burnt alive by Kuyou-sama. In the meantime, let's see what you got," she said and she pulled out an array of items. She took out a magnifying glass, a flashlight, a yoyo, a slingshot, an unopened bag of gummy bears, a toothbrush...all worthless. She discarded them all. Then she came upon the real treasure. It was an antique pocket watch. "Hm, I wonder how much this will sell?" she asked. It seemed valuable enough as she studied it. "You can keep the rest of your junk but leave me this lovely trinket, OK?" He gave no answer. "I don't hear a 'no'. I'll take that as a yes!"

The pocket watch suddenly snapped open on its own, shocking Ishigami. It then, literally, shocked her further with a jolt of electricity, causing her to drop it. The pocket watch's face was then pointed at Shintaro and it shot a beam of light at the petrified young man. Ishigami swiftly picked up the pocket watch and snapped it shut.

"Booby trapped?" she asked and then she saw Shintaro starting to crack. "What's this?" Blue light was seeping through the cracks. "This...this isn't supposed to..." Ishigami's eyes widened as the cracks began to spread and the light grew brighter. She backed away, but it was too late.

**BOOM!**

There was an explosion, with a shockwave that sent Ishigami flying. She hit her head on the wall and was knocked out. Once the smoke and dust cleared, Shintaro was shown back to normal. He blinked then yawned before stretching his stiff limbs. "Man...I'm stiff." He rotated his shoulders, flexed his fingers, and stretched, bending his knees and elbows. He then spotted Ishigami lying unconscious, holding his pocket watch. "Ah, now I remember." He went and picked up the pocket watch before sliding it back into his pocket. He saw the rest of his stuff and swiftly pocketed them too.

Adjusting his tie, Shintaro then said, "OK, time for me and Kuyou to have a few words. No point in sticking around here." He looked around and added, "But first I have to find him." This was a dungeon, so it stood to reason that it would be maze-like.

* * *

Inner Moka panted. Kuyou was a strong opponent. Her kicks had knocked him down, but the problem was getting him to stay down. He had also assumed his true form, and then he had assumed a humanoid battle form which allowed him to access even more power than before. He had also used the power to injure the girls. Mizore couldn't get close to him and due to her sensitivity to heat felt her strength draining away. Kurumu had been hit and her clothes were ruined, with her wings damaged. Yukari's magic was also ineffective.

Inner Moka kicked at Kuyou's head but he blocked with his forearm before grabbing her leg and tossing her behind him. She rebounded off the wall to execute a flying kick, but he grabbed her leg and tossed her to the ground.

"Even the legendary vampire falls before me!" laughed Kuyou.

"You bastard!" snarled Inner Moka as she recovered.

"Haven't you reached your limit? Let's face it. You can't beat me. Nobody can," said Kuyou, "You're just insects compared to me and insects should be squashed."

Inner Moka gritted her teeth. Kuyou was strong, much stronger than she though. However, her pride would not allow her to surrender. It wasn't just her pride, but also her other self's desire to save Shintaro Mido. He was her friend. No, to be more precise, he was their friend. Inner Moka respected him for his strength but never got to really know him as she slept within her other self. However, she and her other self shared the same body, the same mind, and the same heart, so Inner Moka knew that her other self felt strongly for Shintaro. It didn't matter what he was. He was someone precious, someone who was willing to fight to protect others, and someone who needed their protection now more than ever.

He was also someone who had an amazing sense of timing, apparently.

"HONEY, I'M HOME!" Shintaro announced loudly, stunning everyone present in the dungeon. "Do you have any idea how many twists and turns I had to go through before I got here? It ain't easy, I tell ya!" He saw Inner Moka facing against Kuyou. Also, he saw Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore, injured. His eyes narrowed at Kuyou who had changed. His skin was completely pale, with tribal markings on his face and torso. He was also completely naked, save for a pair of black briefs. He sported a pair of fox-like ears and also four fox-like tails that had flames at the tips.

"Shintaro!" Kurumu cried out happily at the sight of Shintaro. He was OK!

"How did you turn back to normal?" Kuyou demanded. Ishigami's petrification was supposed to be permanent.

"Trade secret," Shintaro winked, infuriating Kuyou. "Let's see...fox-like features, four tails, fire...you're a Yonbi no Yoko, aren't you?"

"Seems you know a lot about youkai," Kuyou remarked, "Then again, you've had ample time to learn about us."

"It's a bit obvious," Shintaro replied. "So, would you like some deep fried tofu? I'm sure I can make it if you give me the chance. Whaddya say, truce over a meal?" Shintaro's jovial attitude then shifted as his eyes narrowed and he asked coldly, "Did you hurt my friends?" The girls were slightly taken aback by Shintaro's change in personality. They had never once heard him speak so coldly.

"They were getting in the way of justice," Kuyou said. "They needed to be punished."

"Justice?" Shintaro repeated before he laughed, "_Justice_!? Hahahaha!" He recovered and continued, "What you're doing is far from justice. You're just using your power to extort and bully. You're all corrupt. What you call justice, is a perversion of the term."

"YOU DARE!?" Kuyou yelled.

"OF COURSE I DARE!" Shintaro shouted back, "AND I SWEAR, THIS ENDS TODAY!" Kuyou didn't want to hear anymore and decided to silence Shintaro, with a fireball.

"Shintaro, move!" Inner Moka shouted. Shintaro didn't move and the fireball hit, engulfing him.

"Shintaro!" Mizore screamed.

"Shintaro-san, no!" shrieked Yukari.

"Shintaro!" Kurumu cried out. Inner Moka was speechless and her Outer Self was probably screaming in grief.

"If you want something done right, do it yourself," said Kuyou. But then he noticed that his victim was not screaming in agony. His fire should've caused agonizing pain, and he would've heard screaming as his unfortunate victim flailed about, trying to put out the flames by rolling along the floor. Such actions would be futile. However, none of that took place. Instead, Shintaro's flame-enveloped silhouette began to glow with a soft indigo light before he stepped out of the flames. He was clad in his Rider armor, but now the armored plates on his body were indigo, along with his eyes and his belt's crystal core. He also had additional armor plating on his legs and arms.

This was Kamen Rider Kai Aegis Form.

"WHAT!?" Kuyou shouted. "HOW DID YOU SURVIVE!?"

"I guess I'm just that lucky," Kai smiled under his helmet. Kuyou seethed, his blood boiling, and he hurled a blast of intense flame at Kai. Kai raised his right hand and the flame blast collided with his palm as a transparent hexagon shield of energy emerged. This caused the flames to harmlessly disperse. Kuyou continued to launch flame blast after flame blast, but the number of hexagon shields multiplied, protecting Kai as he began to move towards his opponent. As the flame blasts rained down on Kai, the indigo plates on his armor began to glow, brighter and brighter. Kai knew what this meant as he glared at Kuyou.

"Take this!" Kai shouted as he joined the hexagon shields together. He named the attack in his mind, _'__**Aegis Reflector!**__' _An intense beam of energy burst from the combined shields and smashed into Kuyou. The yoko howled as he was sent flying back by the energy blast. The beam slowly shrank as it ran out of power, but it had dug a long gouge between Kai and Kuyou.

The glow of Kai's armored plates faded and he watched as Kuyou rose back to his feet. He grimaced. It seemed as if this fox was tougher than he looked. Though, Kai noticed the insane rage in Kuyou's eyes as the yoko launched himself at Kai like a rocket. Kai raised his shields and sparks flew as Kuyou's claws continued to crash against them. Kai was being forced back, a step at a time, as Kuyou advanced on him to break his shields. The glow of Kai's armored plates changed, shifting from indigo to yellow. The additional armor vanished as yellow lines replaced them on his sleeves and legs. His eyes also turned yellow along with his belt's core. The shield vanished and Kuyou thought he had broken his opponent's defenses, only to be slashed across the chest by a blade of yellow energy. Kuyou howled once more, in outrage and agony, as Showa stood in another new form. The energy blade that had struck Kuyou extended from the armored plate on Kai's right arm, with another blade extending from the left arm.

Kai had activated Plasma Form.

"OK, this is new. But I like it," Kai smirked and he turned to slash at Kuyou. Kuyou erected a flame barrier but the Plasma Sabers easily sliced through the flames to land a devastating slash across Kuyou's chest. Kuyou screamed and hurled a fireball but Kai sliced it in half. He then kicked out with his right leg and hit Kuyou in the face. Another swing of his Plasma Saber nearly removed Kuyou's arm, but the flaming yoko dodged. He then lashed out with his tails but Kai jumped backwards to avoid them.

'_**Plasma X-Slash!' **_Kai named his attack and performed an X-slash maneuver that sliced into Kuyou's chest. Kuyou howled as blood burst out of the wound. The flames cauterized the wound, but a scar was left behind as a result.

"How many forms does he have?" Inner Moka wondered out loud.

"Yeah, Shintaro! Slice and dice!" Kurumu cheered.

"Show him what you can do!" Yukari joined in, encouragingly.

Mizore even constructed her own version of the foam finger, made of ice, as she went, "Yay~"

Kuyou was enraged, his blood boiling at volcanic levels. The indignity was an insult to his superiority. How could this abomination match him? _How_!? It didn't make sense. Shintaro Mido was just a human freak and yet he was able to do what the vampire bitch couldn't! He could actually harm him! Now, Kuyou even had a scar on his body, a scar left by his present opponent. This was a mockery to his status as the supreme youkai in Youkai Academy!

"THIS IS IT!" Kuyou roared. "I WILL NOT BE MADE A FOOL OFF BY A PIECE OF FREAK TRASH!" He conjured up a massive fireball with his tails, the flames swirling together to form a sphere. The temperature in the dungeon began to rise and the girls shied away from the heat. Kai, however, stood his ground and Kuyou grinned. The fool thought he could withstand _this_!? "DIE, SHINTARO MIDO!" He hurled the massive fireball at Kai.

Kai once again activated his Aegie Form and formed a massive hexagon shield in front of him. The fireball crashed against it but it was too strong and cracks formed on the shield. However, Kai still stood his ground. The armored plates on his body began to change color before the shield shattered and the flames engulfed him. The girls screamed his name and Kuyou grinned. However, the screams of agony he was expecting from his soon-to-be burnt to a crisp victim did not come and he witnessed as the flames engulfing Kai seemed to be absorbed into Kai's waist. The flames were being _sucked _into Kai's belt which glowed with an orange light and once all the flames had been absorbed, Kai now stood in another new form.

It was a different color, again. The bodysuit was black, while the gloves, boots and torso armor were red. The colored pauldrons, chestpiece, forearm guards and greaves were now orange. The eyes on his now red helmet were also orange and the X-shaped was jagged, resembling flames. His bodysuit also had red and orange flame patterns on the sleeves and legs. The eyes glowed brightly.

Instead of burning Kai, the flames were subdued and absorbed by his armor, much to Kuyou's shock and the girls' relief. Kai clenched his fist, embers dancing along his knuckles as he said, "Is that all ya got, Kitsune-san?"

This was Kamen Rider Kai Vulcan Form.

Kuyou roared and flung a volley of fireballs at Kai. The Rider didn't dodge the flames as he started walking towards Kuyou. The fireballs connected with his armor but did no damage. Like the earlier assault, Kai simply absorbed the barrage, casually making his way towards his opponent who was furiously trying to put him down.

Kuyou hurled fireball after fireball at the advancing Rider, whose body continued to absorb the flames. Kuyou could not comprehend it! He just couldn't! No being, other than creatures of fire, was impervious to the flames of a Yoko. But seeing Kai now, walking through the flames and absorbing them, filled the arrogant Kuyou with a feeling that he had not felt before.

_Fear_.

NO! This shouldn't be happening! This 'Kamen Rider' was an abomination! Neither human nor monster! A man-made freak of science! There was no possible way Shintaro Mido could be more superior than he!

Kai continued to advance, his armor absorbing the fire that Kuyou was launching at him. He spoke, "I could've just frozen you in time, conjured a storm to blow you away, or crushed you with your own weight. But..." Kai then concluded, his fists clenched, "I think it's more fitting that you are beaten with your own power!" He punched his fists together, the orange plates and eyes glowing brightly. He crouched, knees bent, and then he roared, punching the air repeatedly to send his own barrage of fireballs at Kuyou. Kuyou shielded himself with his tails and then lunged at Kai, swinging his flaming tails at the Rider. Kai ducked under the tail sweep and then nailed Kuyou with a flaming uppercut. Kuyou spun around to smash his blazing tails into Kai who then caught the four tails in his hands.

"WHAT!? UNHAND ME YOU FILTHY FREAK!" Kuyou roared in outrage. His tails were not meant to be touched by the likes of Kai. Nobody had a right to take hold of a yoko's tail!

"I don't think so," said Kai as he tugged and then tossed Kuyou into a wall by his tail. He swung, smashing Kuyou against another wall, repeating the process as he used Kuyou's tail to smash him into the walls, again and again, and sometimes the floor. The girls were watching, stunned by the display of power. Holding a yoko's tails like that while they were on fire was a guaranteed way to get burnt. However, Kai showed no pain and no signs of discomfort. He was immune to the heat.

Swinging Kuyou over his head, Kai sang, "Around, and around, and around he goes! Where he stops? Nobody cares!" Kai released Kuyou and he smashed into the iron bars of one of the cells, bending the bars with the force of the impact.

"YOU...BASTARD!" roared Kuyou. "I'LL KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!" His entire body was engulfed in flames. He would burn all of them to death for this insult. Kai would die, and so would those girls who dared to oppose him. They were going to suffer his wrath. "DIE!"

The flames were meant to blast outwards, burning everything in their path. However, Kai adopted a stance and waved his arms in a circle. The flames no longer obeyed Kuyou's will as they flowed towards Kai. The tendril of flames were gravitating towards Kai who then wrapped the flames around his arms before absorbing them, the armored plates glowing brighter and brighter. His body temperature was rising as a result and he was hot to the touch.

Kuyou couldn't believe it. He was a yoko, a being of fire, and yet here he was being overpowered. His flames were also subdued. He just couldn't comprehend how this could happen. He was the mightiest of all in Youkai Academy. It just wasn't plausible. It just didn't make sense.

"Now, it's Time's Up for you," said Kai. That was his declaration to end the fight and it always ended with him as the victor. Kuyou stood no chance against Kai who could control and absorb his flames. "Oh, and don't think it's just flames I can control."

"WHAT!?" Kuyou shouted. The girls were wondering this too.

"HYAH!" Kai roared as he stomped his foot down and spikes of stone rose up, surrounding Kuyou. The tip of the spikes were all pointed at his neck. Kuyou was pinned in place. He struggled but he couldn't even break free.

Kai crossed his arms before him, wrist to wrist, fists clenched as the flames around him danced. Rocks rose up around him, flames covering them. The plates on his armor glowed with bright intense light which then lit up in flames along with his eyes. He then punched forward, sending the blazing rocks towards the immobilized Kuyou. '_**Vulcan Ballistic!**_' he named the attack mentally as he launched the blazing rocks. Flames trailed behind said rocks, like meteorites entering Earth's atmosphere.

The resulting explosion from the impact caused the entire dungeon to shake. Once the explosion subsided along with most of the smoke, Kuyou was seen lying in a smoking crater as Kai dusted his hands, back in his Chrono Form. "Like I said, it's time's up for you," he concluded. He looked at the girls, "Ah, yes. Time to take care of you girls." He reached out with his power and reversed the damage done to their bodies and clothes. "There, good as new," he smiled before his legs suddenly gave out. Suddenly, he collapsed forward, but Inner Moka caught him before he crashed face first into the floor. His armor also vanished from his body.

"He must've exhausted himself," said Kurumu, noting that he was now unconscious. They had witnessed him use so much power. That was probably more than he could normally take.

"Yes," said Inner Moka as she carried Shintaro, bridal style. "Unbelievable."

"He really is," smiled Mizore.

"Let's get out of here," urged Yukari. She didn't want to stay down here any longer.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that!" announced Shiroku as he stood next to Kuyou's body. "None of you will be leaving this place alive." With that said, he dropped a Freak Chip onto Kuyou's body. "LET THE PARTY CONTINUE!"

The Freak Chip's tendril-like wires buried themselves into Kuyou's skin. His eyes snapped open as he screamed in agony. Shiroku watched in amusement as the transformation took place. His grin widened as Kuyou stood up and dropped on all fours, turning into a black-furred, fox-like creature with four tails. Then, bone-like armor started growing out of Kuyou's body to cover him in a protective shell made out of bone and cartilage. He also started to grow in size, as his eyes glowed. His body radiated with bluish flames before he howled like a wolf.

This was the four-tailed Kitsune Freak.

"Well, it's time I blew this joint," said Shiroku. "Have fun!" He snapped his fingers and vanished in a flash of light.

"We have to get out of here!" Inner Moka ordered.

"But that thing's blocking the exit!" Kurumu shouted.

The Kitsune Freak breathed out a plume of fire that headed towards the girls. They screwed their eyes shut but then, all of a sudden, a magic circle rose up and shielded them. The flames splashed harmlessly over the magic circle before the Kitsune Freak stopped. The magic circle then faded, and the girls realized that there was an extra person present, a stranger. He had dark hair that was slightly tinted green and tied into a short ponytail at the base of his skull. He was dressed in a black vest over a white and black checkered dress shirt with black, white pinstriped, slacks.

"He's always overdoing things," said the stranger as he looked at the unconscious Shintaro.

"Who are you?" Inner Moka asked/demanded.

"Oh, we haven't met yet, have we? _Bonjour_, my name is Kamikaze Liquer. Now, do you mind taking my dear friend out of here? I really can't fight while bystanders are around. They tend to get in the way."

"Kamikaze...you're Kaze?" Inner Moka questioned.

"Sorry, but you really gotta go," insisted Kaze. "I'll hold this thing off."

"How are we going to get away with that thing blocking the exit?" questioned Kurumu.

"Look down," said Kaze and the girls did. They saw the magic circle glowing under them. "_Au revoir!_" With a flash of light, the girls and Shintaro had vanished. He turned his attention back at the Kitsune Freak and said, "Now, the show must go on!" He then said something else, "Henshin!"

Dark energy engulfed Kaze, forming into an equally dark suit of armor with glowing red trim. Once his helmet formed, a black visor slid down to conceal his face before red eyes glowed behind it. "_En garde!_" He drew his sword and prepared for battle.

* * *

The magic circle which had transported the girls and Shintaro away from the dungeon reappeared on the ceiling of the infirmary. The girls and Shintaro then dropped out of the circle and landed on their butts. Shintaro's fall was fortunately cushioned by the girls.

"OK, what the heck was that!?" Kurumu demanded.

"A teleportation spell," said Yukari. "A very advanced spell."

"I'm guessing you haven't learnt it yet," remarked Mizore and Yukari nodded. Inner Moka sighed and lifted Shintaro up before carrying him to one of the infirmary beds. After gently laying him down, she tucked him in before gently stroking his hair.

"You are one troublesome guy, Shintaro Mido," she said with a fond smile. "Troublesome indeed."

Suddenly, the same magic circle appeared and Kaze dropped down from it. He dusted off his hands and grinned, "Well, that takes care of that." His sudden appearance had startled them.

"Wait, what are you doing here!?" shrieked Kurumu. "Shouldn't you be fighting whatever it is Kuyou turned into!?"

"Took care of it already," shrugged Kaze. "Wasn't that hard."

"Wasn't that hard?" Inner Moka repeated, eyes narrowed.

"Why would it be?," Kaze answered. He looked at each of the girls, "Let me see if I got this right: Moka Akashiya, Mizore Shirayuki, Kurumu Kuruno and Yukari Sendou, am I right?"

"You know our names?" Mizore asked.

"Shintaro talks a lot about you girls. I can see why, though. I have to say, Shintaro has really good taste-" began Kaze.

"Stop it," Shintaro interrupted, surprising the girls again. He was glaring at Kaze.

"I was just complimenting them," defended Kaze innocently. "And I thought you were asleep."

"Your voice woke me. As for complimenting them, I know when you're flirting. You're _always _flirting," countered Shintaro.

"And you're always overdoing things and overworking yourself," retorted Kaze, "If I hadn't shown up, you would've been roasted with your girlfriends. Show some gratitude. Don't be so ungrateful."

"Thank you," Shintaro thanked. Kaze smiled in response. "Now, what are you doing here, Kaze?"

"Well, I read today's horoscope and it told me something bad was going to happen to a dear friend of mine. Since that's usually you, I dropped by to check up on you. Good thing too. You really were in a heap of trouble," said Kaze. "Plus, I actually missed you."

"Well, I'm glad you came. It's good to see you again," said Shintaro. He sat up but Inner Moka pushed him down, gently.

"You should be resting," said Inner Moka, "You overexerted yourself enough already."

"Didn't think you cared," said Shintaro. Inner Moka scowled.

"I don't, but you're precious to my other self," she retorted. "Which reminds me, I need to go back to sleep." She put back the rosary seal and turned back to her other self, the pink-haired Moka. Moka blinked and then looked at Shintaro. "You're OK."

"I said so, didn't I?" he reminded. "I just passed out because I used too much of a new power. A few new powers, actually, but I think I'll get used to it."

"Well, since you're in good hands, I'll be off now," said Kaze as he conjured a magic circle. "_Au revoir, frérot._"

"Ja ne, Kaze," Shintaro greeted back and Kaze smiled before vanishing into the circle.

* * *

After the incident, the Public Safety Commission was abolished for corruption and misuse of power. Their members were expelled and their prisoners were taken away to be cured of their condition. It was all because Smith-sensei had been able to clear things up. The charges of Shintaro being human were proved to be false and dropped. Of course, the fact that he was a Kamen Rider couldn't be denied. However, with the Student Police now exposed as a corrupt organization, their credibility was ruined and anything they said could not be taken at face value anymore. Also, the fact was that Shintaro never actively tried to hunt anyone actually helped to prove Shintaro's innocence. He only fought against monsters that were a threat to the school and students, like the Lizard Freak and the Sea Serpent Freak.

Shintaro was currently recovering and regaining his strength. Using his new powers had strained his body and exhausted him. It was just fortunate that he had activated them when he did. If not, they would not have been able to survive against Kuyou. Still, it made Shintaro wonder more and more about where he got his powers, and his own origins. Kaze hadn't hung around long enough for Shintaro to ask any questions, but by the time summer vacation came, Shintaro would ask Topper. He wanted answers. For now, he would enjoy his school days with the girls. Even if Youkai Academy wasn't always peaceful, it was the place where Shintaro felt most at home.

* * *

"So, he's alright then," said Topper as he played a game of Solitaire. He was in the backroom of his pawn shop with his son.

"That's right. It's a good thing he's so lucky," said Kaze after finishing his report. "Papa, don't you think it's time he's told the truth of who he is, and of what he is?"

"When he's ready, my son," said Topper as he laid down another card. "He's not mentally or emotionally prepared yet."

"And when will he be prepared, Papa?" Kaze questioned.

Topper spoke cryptically, "When and how that happens will also be up to him. Now, he's just starting his journey. When he's reached the crossroads, that is when the next leg of his journey will begin. When that happens, that is when he must decide his path and once he has decided, that is when the truth will come to him. That is when he will be enlightened."

"He isn't just another piece in your game with Mama, is he?" Kaze asked suspiciously.

"Maybe he is, maybe he isn't," said Topper. "What do you think?" Kaze didn't reply. The bell at the door chimed. "It looks like we have another customer."

"I'll get it," said Kaze as he left the back room to entertain their latest customer.

* * *

Shiroku stepped out of the tunnel and gave a sigh before grinning. "Well, that's the end of that experiment. Guess it's time to resume work my work out there." His grin faded as he spoke coldly, "Kuro-no-Shinigami, your time of reckoning will soon come." With that said, he walked away.

* * *

**KRC: And thus ends the first arc of Kamen Rider Kai. I actually imagined this as a reboot of Showa and Vampire that focuses more on Shintaro, but then I decided to go in a different direction. A new, different Shintaro, with different armor, forms and powers. Now, since I introduced three new alternate fighting forms for Shintaro, it's time for an overview and description like they do in Wikipedia. So, here we go!**

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER KAI**

Kamen Rider Kai is the alter-ego of Shintaro Mido, which he discovered during the fight with Saizou. When transformed, Shintaro is donned in a suit of protective body armor, with colored plating on his chest, shins, forearms, and shoulders known as **Spectrum Plates**. The Spectrum Plates change color depending on which form Kai is using and glow when the power of the form is charged up for the form's unique finisher. His eyes and the crystal in his belt also change color to match. He is also armed with the **Twin Edge Chrono Blade**, which can separate into two individual swords.

The following is a list of Kamen Rider Kai's forms:

**Chrono Form: **Chrono Form is Kamen Rider Kai's default form. The armor has green Spectrum Plates. In this form, Kai is able to utilize a wide variety of time-manipulation techniques to assist him in battle. His finisher is the **Chrono Drill Kick**. He can also perform the **Double Saber Slash** with the **Twin Edge Chrono Blade.**

**Tempest Form: **In this form, the bodysuit gains lightning bolt patterns and has blue Spectrum Plates. Kai also gains the ability to manipulate water, wind and electricity, hence the name. His base speed and agility has increased, and he gains long-ranged combat capabilities. He can execute the **Tempest Harpoon** and **Tempest Bolt** attacks with the Twin Edge Chrono Blade.

**Gravity Form: **In this form, the bodysuit turns white, the armor turns silver and the Spectrum Plates turn violet. Kai gains the ability to manipulate gravity. In addition, this is the only form which possesses the power of flight, an extension of his ability to manipulate gravity. His finisher attacks in Gravity Form are the **Graviton Fist **and **Graviton Crusher.**

**Aegis Form: **This is a primarily defensive form. When Kai assumes Aegis Form, the Spectrum Plates turn indigo and he gains extra armor. This form can wield the protective **Aegis Shield** barriers and the finisher is called the **Aegis Reflector**, which transmutes the offensive force absorbed by the Aegis Shields into a beam that is sent back at the opponent. The Aegis Shields are not impenetrable, however, and there is a limit to how much force they can endure.

**Plasma Form: **Another offensive form. In Plasma Form, Kai's Spectrum Plates turn yellow and he gains the ability to wield the **Plasma Sabers** which extend from his arms. It seems this form relies on agility and focuses on swordsmanship. This form can perform the **Plasma X-Slash** attack.

**Vulcan Form: **In this form, the armor turns red with the bodysuit gaining flame-like patterns. The Spectrum Plates also adopt an orange color. This form grants Kai the ability to manipulate flames and earth. Additionally, the Spectrum Plates can absorb flames to increase Kai's power. However, this could endanger Kai's health as his body can only contain a finite amount of flames and he must expel the flames he's absorbed. The strain of this form will also cause Shintaro to pass out from exhaustion. His finisher in this form is **Vulcan Ballistic.**


	7. Summer Homecoming

**Chapter 7: Summer Homecoming**

The mood surrounding Yokai Academy was..._creepy_, with a good share of relief and even joy mixed in with it. Emerging from the school were the relieved students who had just finished their exams before the summer break. It was always a stressful time and several students cracked up from the pressure, one literally doing so since he was a golem. Among the group were the familiar faces of Shintaro and his friends, all of them happy to be finished with the exams once and for all.

"I'm so glad that finals are over!" cheered Kurumu. After the final bell had rang, Kurumu had handed in her exam paper and declared herself free for summer vacation. Were it not for the fact that her wings were hidden, many would have assumed that she was flying to hand her paper in so she could get the heck out of the school.

"Well, don't cheer too soon. Wait until the results come out," warned Mizore. The comment served to kill Kurumu's good mood, making her turn to the yuki-onna with a deep frown.

"Do you always have to bring down my good mood, stalker girl?" Kurumu shot back.

"It's one of my joys in life, boobzilla," Mizore retorted.

"Well, I have a good feeling!" smirked Kurumu before she went and grabbed Shintaro's arm. "I had Shintaro tutor me for the exam!"

Moka was disappointed that she wasn't able to tutor Shintaro. It would've been a good excuse to spend more time with him. However, he never needed any tutoring. Any information he learnt he soaked up like a sponge, and when it came to math he just knew how to answer all the problems perfectly. Well, _almost _perfectly. He never got a perfect score for his tests. At best, he got 99%. Was he doing it on purpose? She wasn't sure. But it proved that he was intelligent enough to not need any extra tutoring. Rather than Moka tutoring him, he had ended up tutoring them save for Yukari who was confident in her academic skills since she was a genius. Kurumu of course took advantage of it the most with Mizore coming a close second.

"It was nothing, Kurumu-chan," Shintaro smiled. "You're actually pretty smart. You just have trouble focusing."

"Well, I'm so glad you kept me on the right track," she snuggled against his arm.

"I'm just happy to help a friend," he smiled. _'And also I couldn't say no to such delicious cookies. Seriously, she should start her own business.'_

Almost two months had passed since the confrontation with Kuyou. Shintaro had not only defeated Kuyou, but also humiliated the youko by absorbing his flames and then using them against him. After that, the Student Police got disbanded once their abuse of power and corruption was exposed. Without Kuyou to lead them, they just fell apart. Since then, Shintaro had been kept busy by challenge after challenge by other students hoping to make a name for themselves. He had defeated Kuyou, the original 'top dog' of Youkai Academy and with the rumors about Shintaro's power spreading, many wanted to dethrone Shintaro by defeating him. Sadly, nobody came close, and it was due to Shintaro's array of powers.

Unlike most of the students in Youkai Academy, Shintaro possessed a variety of abilities. He could manipulate time, call on the power of a storm, control gravity, conjure powerful energy shields, wield energy blades and summon up intense flames from within. Of course, specific powers were exclusive to a corresponding form. Shintaro only used these forms for intense battles. His challenges all learnt the hard way that it was a bad idea to provoke him.

The first challenger following Kuyou's fall had been a mountain troll named Chopper Rikishi, claiming that Shintaro had taken his opponent (Kuyou) from him. Shintaro had easily defeated him with his Vulcan Form. The mountain troll stood no chance against Shintaro's Vulcan Ballistic. After Chopper Rikishi came a new challenger at least once a week. Sure, these fights gave Shintaro a chance to sharpen his skills and master his forms' powers, but after awhile it really got old and he just didn't want to fight without a reason. It was just all pointless. Just some bullshit about becoming the Alpha Male in Youkai Academy. Shintaro didn't really care, but even so, Shintaro wasn't the type to just throw a fight. If he was attacked, he would defend himself. It was his right.

Of course, this led to Moka informing him that her inner self wanted a chance to challenge him in a 'friendly' match. Although, Shintaro pretty much doubt that her intentions were anything but friendly. Inner Moka was probably sore that she'd been unable to defeat Kuyou. Sure, she managed to get a few good hits, but the Youko's incredible durability and stamina prevented him from being taken down until Shintaro landed the finishing blow. Maybe it was just her vampiric pride that needed to be restored. If she could at least beat him, it would make her previous losses less significant. Almost losing to an orc had been incredibly humiliating, but only because it had rained and a vampire could not handle water. It was their weakness due to the purifying effects of water.

However, it did not escape his notice that most of his schoolmates were still rather wary of him. The Student Police had outed him as a Kamen Rider and told them that Riders were monster hunters. Despite being cleared of the charges of being human, the fact was that the Student Police had caused the student body to somewhat distrust Shintaro. Fortunately, Shintaro still had his friends with him. Besides, he believed that eventually he could win the trust of his peers. _Eventually_, that is. Maybe that was another reason for the challenges. Maybe all those monsters wanted to prove that they were able to beat a Kamen Rider. Too bad that none of them could.

Oddly and gratefully enough there were no more Freak incidents. In the past two months, there hadn't been an appearance by a Freak. It would seem that Shiroku had decided to either leave or lay low. Some might consider this a good opportunity to relax, but Shintaro had a feeling that Shiroku had left the academy to do his evil elsewhere, which did nothing to calm Shintaro's nerves. Fortunately, he had his schoolwork and friends to distract him and stop him from worrying about the Man in White. If Shintaro knew his luck, and he did, he'd run into Shiroku again someday. Of course, with the peace that came after defeating Kuyou and the absence of Freaks, the girls had been increasing their attempts to get closer to Shintaro, romantically speaking. Kurumu would bake cookies and cakes for him, Mizore would stalk him whenever he took long walks alone, Yukari would come over to hang out, and Moka would drink his blood on a daily basis. It was a routine he got used to and he actually enjoyed it.

Was he actually getting accustomed to life in Youkai Academy? Pretty much.

"So, we should celebrate!" cheered Kurumu.

"Isn't it a bit too early to celebrate?" Mizore asked.

"No, Kurumu-chan's right," Shintaro replied, agreeing with Kurumu's suggestion. "We should celebrate the end of finals. Have a little party and just have fun since we won't have to cram and study for a while."

Moka didn't disagree, "I guess it'll be fun."

"Yay, a party!" Yukari cheered.

"Well, let's just hope once we get our results back, we can have another party," said Shintaro. He was a teenage boy, he loved to have fun. Was that a crime?

"By the way, how about our club's plans for the summer?" Moka asked. Shintaro had also founded a new club in Youkai Academy, the History and Archaeology Club. He had arranged for their club's summer activities, which would be visiting museums. However, he had also added another item to their plans. They would also be visiting historical sites as well.

"Things will go smoothly," he promised. "We'll be touring all over Japan, checking out museums, historical sites and monuments. We might even visit Kyoto." He had checked online for museums with interesting exhibits. He wanted to share the experience with the girls too. Of course, he also understood they wouldn't be as into it as he was, so he also allowed them to have some free time. It would be their first summer vacation visiting the human world and he wanted the experience to be something they would cherish.

After school, they had their party in the clubroom to celebrate the end of finals. There was music too, and Shintaro managed to borrow a Karaoke machine from the AV room, so they had fun singing on it too. Kurumu convinced Shintaro to sing a duet with her. And so, until it was late at night, the group sang and partied before heading back to their dorms to sleep.

* * *

One week later, the report cards were given out and the students' rankings were posted. Kurumu didn't do too badly this time. She at least passed all her subjects. Her friends all did better, with Yukari and Shintaro ranking at the very top. Again, Yukari was ranked 1st with Shintaro ranked 2nd, and all because he couldn't write well in Kanji.

The day before they were scheduled to leave for the human world, Shintaro had informed the girls to meet him up at a specific location at night. He said that he had something special planned. When they arrived, almost racing each other to meet with Shintaro, they found him at the top of a hill, sitting on a blanket while gazing at the moon & stars.

"Oh, girls, you're here," he said, smiling. "Come and sit down. I've got drinks and snacks." The girls sat down around Shintaro, Kurumu managing to grab the spot closest to him.

"So, what did you call us here for?" Moka asked.

"I wanted to gaze at the moon and stars with you girls, that's all," said Shintaro.

"Gaze at the moon and stars?" they repeated, curious.

Shintaro's gaze returned to the moon and stars as he said, "I get a kind of nostalgic feeling whenever I look at them. I don't know why." The girls knew that Shintaro suffered from amnesia. He didn't remember his past at all. All he could remember before coming to Youkai Academy was six months he spent living and working in a pawn shop with Kaze and Topper.

"You know, I never actually stopped to look at the night's sky," said Kurumu. "It's kinda pretty."

"Kaze tells me that when the moon is full then it's smiling at everyone," said Shintaro. He chuckled, "I know, it's silly."

"I don't think it's silly," said Moka. "The moon's full and there are stars in the sky. It's a beautiful night."

Shintaro smiled at Moka. "Yes, it is. A lot of people take it for granted nowadays, but the sight of the full moon with the twinkling stars isn't very common. Comes only once a month. It's even rarer with the bright city lights obscuring the stars." He could see stars every night, but to see the full moon accompanying them was something people didn't always see. People still took it for granted, always kept busy by so many things. They just couldn't stop to enjoy the simple things in life.

Shintaro filled five cups with drinks and held his cup high, "To summer vacation, and a hopefully peaceful one. Kampai!"

The girls took up their cups and echoed, "Kampai!"

They spent the next few hours enjoying each other's company, just talking, laughing, and enjoying their drinks and snacks while the light of the moon shone down on them. While it was nice, deep down each of the girls wished it was just them alone with Shintaro and not with the other girls.

* * *

The following day, at the bus stop, the H&A Club were already waiting for the bus. They were packed, ready, and dressed for their one month stay in the human world. Originally, Yukari was reluctant but Shintaro managed to convince her that it was going to be alright. Right now, they were waiting for Smith-sensei to come. He would be joining them on their trip. He was also the one who had gotten them permission to venture into the human world.

Shintaro had come early to the spot and while waiting for the girls he decided to perform a few tricks with his yoyo. In the middle of one of the tricks, Moka came and applauded. He had lost his focus and hit himself between the eyes when he failed to catch the returning yoyo. After that, Kurumu came with Yukari, both of them arguing. Fortunately, Shintaro got them to stop. Kurumu even made plenty of cookies for the bus ride. When Mizore had come to their meeting spot, Shintaro had noticed that she had cut her hair short. She had told him that, as it was summer, it would be really hot and a shorter hairstyle would be better. He told her that her new hairstyle looked really cute. She accepted his compliment with a blush and a smile.

"Shintaro-kun, where's your bike?" Moka asked. She wondered why he wouldn't be taking his signature vehicle with him. To be honest, she hadn't seen it all week.

"I had it sent back home a week ago," said Shintaro. "Did you think I was actually going to ride it the entire way back home?"

"Well..." Moka blushed. "If you were, I would like to ride with you." She wanted to wrap her arms around the boy. When Shintaro rode his bike, he always offered rides to the girls. Whoever was lucky got to ride with him to school. He was envied because he had an amazing machine, and a girl riding with him. Some of his self-proclaimed rivals even considered vandalizing the vehicle, but backed out since they were afraid of the repercussions of pissing off a guy who had beaten Kuyou. Most of them were just weaklings anyway who stood no chance against Shintaro.

"How about you sit next to me on the bus?" he offered and she beamed.

"That would be nice," said Moka.

"Hey, no fair, Moka!" Kurumu complained. "I wanted to sit next to Shintaro!"

"I wanna sit next to Shintaro too!" whined Yukari.

"Me too," added Mizore. "Shintaro, why didn't you ask me?"

"Girls, girls, relax," placated Shintaro. "I told you we'll be stopping all over Japan. You can all take turns sitting next to me." The girls looked at each other and made a silent agreement. He checked his wristwatch. "I wonder where Smith-sensei is. He's late."

"Somebody mentioned me?" Smith-sensei asked and Shintaro jumped in shock before turning around to see their teacher. He was dressed in a green, short-sleeved shirt with black slacks and sneakers. Casual clothes. Guess he was dressed for summer.

"I didn't even hear you arrive!" Shintaro exclaimed. The girls hadn't even noticed their teacher's arrival until he announced himself. He didn't come alone either. With him was a little girl who looked like she was four years old. She had bright violet eyes and frizzy blonde hair. She was adorable in her pink t-shirt and overalls.

"Who's the kid?" Kurumu asked.

"Everyone, this is my daughter. Her name's River," Smith-sensei introduced his daughter, River Smith.

"River?" everyone echoed.

"She's named after my..." Smith-sensei shuddered a bit before he finished, "...Mother-in-law."

River looked at the girls and said, "Uwah~, Daddy, they look so pwetty!" The girls smiled at the cute little girl. She was so sweet. Then River's gaze was focused on Shintaro. She then exclaimed, "Daddy, he looks like Uncle Shinichi!" This statement caused Shintaro to cock an eyebrow and look at Smith-sensei curiously.

"What does she mean I look like her uncle?" Shintaro asked. Unlike most of the people in Youkai Academy, Smith-sensei was someone he couldn't get an exact read on. Everyone he knew made their intentions pretty much clear: Moka wanted his blood, Kurumu wanted to make him her Destined One, Mizore wanted him to become her husband to father her babies, and Yukari wanted to 'experiment' with him in ways that a girl her age shouldn't even know about. However, Smith-sensei's intentions were never exactly clear. Oh, sure, he was their teacher with responsibilities, but Shintaro had a feeling their World History teacher had other reasons for being so protective of them.

Something about Smith-sensei was also oddly familiar to Shintaro, but he just couldn't fathom why, and Smith-sensei wasn't telling. He was like Topper in that regard. He hated it when people he was close to kept secrets from him. Oh, he understood, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Both men were a mystery to Shintaro, ones he couldn't solve, at least not yet.

Smith-sensei merely smiled knowingly before little River shouted out, "Spoilers!" Shintaro blinked. That was an oddly random answer.

"Ah, you're so cute, sweetie," Smith-sensei smiled at his daughter. He looked over Shintaro's shoulder and added, "Oh, and it looks like the bus is here." Shintaro turned and saw that the bus had indeed arrived. It stopped in front of the scarecrow-like sign and opened its door.

"So, headed to the human world, huh?" the bus driver said with a creepy grin. "The human world's a scary and dangerous place, you know."

"That's what you said about Youkai Academy," said Shintaro.

"But I was right, wasn't I?" the bus driver countered. Shintaro had to admit, the man was right, and the human world could be scary and dangerous. There was no denying that violence existed out there as much as it did in Youkai Academy.

"OK, you got me there," Shintaro said. "But I managed to survive."

"And what happens when you face real danger?" the bus driver asked.

"I say bring it on!" Shintaro accepted any challenge.

"Well, then get on. We're headed to the human world," said the bus driver. Shintaro smiled. He looked to Yukari, the most reluctant, and gently took her hand. She looked up at him, their eyes meeting.

"Don't worry, Yukari-chan," Shintaro told him reassuringly as he promised, "I won't let anything bad happen to you." He said to everyone, "OK, everyone!_ Allons-y!_"

"Wait, what does that mean?" Kurumu asked.

"It's French for 'let's go'," trenalsted Smith-sensei.

"Kaze always said that whenever he had to go someplace," said Shintaro, "Plus it's fun to say."

"And you wish there was someone named Alonso so you could say '_Allons-y_, Alonso', right?" Smith-sensei smiled.

"Well...yeah," said Shintaro slowly.

"Well, let's _Allons-y_ to the human world, Shintaro-kun," Moka beamed as she looped her arm around Shintaro's as they entered the bus together. They took their seats, with Moka taking the spot next to Shintaro, before the bus drove into the tunnel.

Four months ago, Shintaro had passed through this very same tunnel. It was a gateway into Youkai Academy, which was hidden from the entire world by a special barrier. It was why the school was never found on any map. It was meant to protect the students from outside threats. However, sometimes, threats could sneak in. Shiroku was a good example. He had snuck into the school and started wreaking havoc with his Freak Chips, turning students into monstrous Freaks. While the students Shiroku had converted had recovered in the hospital, something seemed to have changed within them.'

However, Shintaro did not want to think about Freak Chips, Freaks, Shiroku or even fighting them. This summer was about visiting museums, historical sites, and uncovering any new mystery he might come across.

Also, he would be able to confront Topper about his origins. That was the most important thing on this trip.

* * *

For Kurumu, Yukari and Mizore, this was their first time in the human world. After exiting the tunnel, they had ended up in the countryside. Yukari looked out the window to take in everything. While reluctant at first, she didn't find anything bad about it...at least not yet. She would save her opinion for later. As for Mizore and Kurumu, the human world meant a lot more places to visit. Youkai Academy may have been comfortable, but there was not much they could do within school grounds or the area surrounding it.

Kurumu had been studying (ironic really) about the human world. There were a lot of places like arcades, karaoke boxes and even love hotels. Kurumu had a plan to get herself and Shintaro alone so they could move forward with their relationship. Even though Shintaro had planned for them to visit a few museums, that did not mean they couldn't fit some fun activities into their schedule.

Mizore was thinking along the same lines as the succubus. She too wanted to deepen her relationship with the mysterious boy who had come into her life. The day they met, he had helped her to move her things into her dorm, without really needing a reason to. He just wanted to, and did not expect any reward in exchange. He had been sincere, a rarity among teenage boys, and had gotten her friendship in return. Also, he had defended her chastity, which made her fall even more in love for him.

Moka, not a stranger to the human world, was a bit nervous, but actually looked forward to visiting it for the summer. Especially since she had friends she could spend time with. Before coming to Youkai Academy, she had been an outcast. Either her classmates wanted nothing to do with her, or made fun of her because of her belief in monsters. It had been lonely, but that was no longer the case anymore. She had friends now, good friends, and it was all thanks to Shintaro whom she had bumped into.

He had confided in her that he understood. He didn't have many friends in the human world either. Topper and Kaze were the closest people he had and they were his family. Most who witnessed him use his powers chose to stay away due to his freakiness. He hadn't meant any harm, but they just thought that he and his abilities were weird, so they chose to avoid him so they wouldn't be 'infected' by his freakiness. Coming to Youkai Academy was probably the best decision he'd ever made as nobody would bat an eye at his strange abilities. They certainly came in handy when something broke.

The bus soon entered the city and Shintaro smiled. He was finally home. He had given the bus driver directions to stop someplace and the bus driver nodded. He knew exactly where they needed to stop. Once near their destination, the bus started slowing down before coming to a stop in front of a building. Shintaro looked at the sign.

It read: 'Topper's Pawn Shop'.

"Come on, girls. We're here," roused Shintaro as the girls started to wake up. The trip had been a couple of hours and the girls decided to nap. Moka had her head rested against Shintaro shoulder and she yawned as she woke up.

"Are we there yet?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"We've arrived," said Shintaro.

"Come on, River sweetie," said Smith-sensei as he roused his daughter awake. "Wakey-wakey."

"Huh?" little River asked and then yawned. She had been sitting in her father's lap, taking a nap as well. "Are we there yet?"

"We are," said Smith-sensei. "Now let's go stretch out legs, OK sweetie?" River smiled.

"OK, Daddy."

The group exited the bus, one-by-one, and Shintaro turned to face them.

"Well here we are: Topper's Pawn Shop! Welcome!" Shintaro announced. He hadn't seen the place for awhile and just looking at it filled him with a sense of nostalgia. He really missed it, even if things got really weird with their items on a regular basis.

"So, this is the pawn shop you've been telling us about?" Moka asked. She looked at the building. "It's nice."

"Yeah," said Shintaro. "Come on, I'll show you around inside and introduce you to the owner." He opened up the door. "Ladies first."

The bell chimed as the door opened and the group was greeted.

"Welcome to Topper's Pawn Shop. How may I help you?" the woman behind the counter greeted with a smile. She was dressed in a pink blouse with short sleeves, with a brown corset around her midsection, and a black skirt that reached the ground. She had her hair tied in two ponytails on the side of her head while the rest fell naturally. Her eyes were reddish-pink. She was also wearing a white apron and a name tag which read 'RUBY' across it.

Shintaro blinked. He had expected Kaze or Topper. Who was this woman standing behind the counter? Had they hired someone to replace him? Why hadn't he been informed?

"I'm here to see the owner, Topper Liquer," said Shintaro. "My name's Shintaro. Shintaro Mido."

"Oh!" the woman gasped. "_You're_ Shintaro-kun! Kaze-kun and Topper-san have told me so much about you! It's like I know you already!" she said with a beaming smile. "From the way they described you, I imagined you to be shorter." Shintaro cocked an eyebrow in response. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Ruby Toujou! I started working here just three weeks ago!" She bowed. "Welcome home, Shintaro-kun!"

Shintaro bowed back awkwardly.

Ruby's gaze then went to each of the girls before falling onto Yukari. Her eyes widened, sparkling in excitement. "Another witch!" Ruby exclaimed. She went around the counter and took Yukari's hand in hers. "Oh, I can just tell from looking at you! I can even sense your magic! Another witch!" She hugged Yukari tight.

"Wait,_ you're_ a _witch_?" Shintaro blurted out.

"Oh, no!" Ruby gasped and scolded herself, "I did it again! I got overly excited and got carried away! But many, many things have happened! I just didn't expect this!"

"Toujou-san, please, it's alright!" insisted Shintaro.

Kurumu whispered to Mizore, "She's kind of a spaz, isn't she?" Mizore nodded.

Topper came out of the backroom when he heard the commotion, "I heard a commotion."

"Ah, Topper-san!" Ruby exclaimed. "Look, Shintaro-kun's back!"

Topper smiled and said, "So he is!" He went and shook Shintaro's hand. "Welcome back, Shintaro!"

"Good to be back," Shintaro greeted back. He studied the pawn shop, "Not much has changed, but I see you've added a few new items in the showroom." That tribal mask on the wall was new.

"Business has been growing," Topper said. "A lot of people have been coming in with rare items lately to trade. I just couldn't refuse."

"I'm sure," Shintaro smiled. "So, where's Kaze?"

"Kamikaze's out on a job right now," said Topper. At the mention of Kamikaze's name, Ruby briefly became sad, "But he's due back any day now." He looked at the girls, "So, aren't you going to introduce us?"

"These are my friends and fellow club members," said Shintaro as he introduced the girls, "Moka Akashiya, Kurumu Kurono, Mizore Shirayuki and Yukari Sendou." The girls bowed and greeted back, saying that it was nice to meet Topper. "Girls, this is Topper Liquer. He's Kamikaze's father and my guardian."

"That's right, and I'm pleased to hear that all of you have been taking good care of Shintaro," Topper smiled as he took his hat off to them, both literally and metaphorically. "He must've been quite the handful," he joked.

"And this is John Smith-sensei, our history teacher and the faculty advisor for our club," Shintaro introduced. "This is his daughter, River-chan."

"John Smith, huh?" Topper smiled and shook hands with Smith-sensei, "Is that what you're calling yourself now?"

"It's been awhile, hasn't it, Topper?" Smith-sensei replied.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Shintaro asked, surprised, as he pointed at both men.

"We go _way _back," both men said in unison.

"So, you're a history teacher now," Topper said to Smith-sensei, "I suppose with your _qualifications_ that's not much of a surprise."

"And you're still in the business of selling, buying and trading unique items," Smith-sensei replied. "Then again, I'm not surprised. It's what you're good at and you love it."

"The pawn shop business is just so interesting. I could never give it up," Topper smiled as he tipped his hat.

River looked around the shop and her gaze was locked upon an old music box. It was beautiful. There was a wind up key and on top was a ballerina figurine. It was kept behind the counter's glass display.

"Do you like that?" Ruby asked River who nodded.

"It's pwetty," smiled River. "Just like you." Ruby smiled. Little girls like her would just say what was on their mind. It was adorable.

"Topper, could we speak, in private?" Shintaro asked his guardian who nodded in understanding.

"Ruby, please entertain our guests, would you?" requested Topper.

"Hai, Topper-san," Ruby smiled as she obeyed.

"Come with me," said Topper and Shintaro followed his guardian into the backroom. Smith-sensei watched them go, eyes narrowed, but then his attention went back to his daughter who was looking at an antique porcelain doll, one which had eyes that literally followed you wherever you go. The girls also took the time to browse through the items on display in the showroom. There was a lot of interesting things here.

Meanwhile, in the backroom, Shintaro had his arms crossed as he looked at Topper expectantly.

"Would you care for some tea?" Topper offered. "After the bus ride, I'm sure you'd like something to drink."

"Topper, you know why I'm here," said Shintaro promptly.

"Enlighten me," Topper replied.

Irritated, Shintaro raised his voice, "Oh, don't play games with me! You know! But if you don't, then I'll say it! Who or what am I? I know you know! There's nothing you don't know!"

"That is true," agreed Topper, "But are you sure you're ready for the truth?"

"I've been preparing myself to find out the truth about my past for awhile now, Topper," replied Shintaro. "I can handle it."

"Shintaro," Topper said seriously, "There are some truths you can never be ready for."

"I guess so," Shintaro admitted, "But this is about my past and you swore you'd tell me."

"Of course," Topper smiled, "I always keep my word. I just get delayed, that's all."

"Yeah, yeah," Shintaro rolled his eyes. "So what's the story with Toujou-san?"

"I'll let Kaze tell you when he gets back. I have something to show you," Topper said as he opened the fridge. "Ah, here it is." He took it out and put it on the counter. It was a jar. Shintaro's eyes widened at what the jar contained.

Floating in the jar of clear liquid was a Freak Chip.

Shintaro took a step back in shock at the sight of the object floating in the jar. He had expected to see a lot of things in Topper's pawn shop, like a living mummy hand, animated dolls, cursed and/or enchanted items, or even the head of the Headless Horseman. However, out of all the things he expected to find in Topper's pawn shop, a fully intact Freak Chip was the _last _thing he expected to see.

Once Shintaro found his voice again, he asked, "Where...?" He took a deep breath to give him time to gather his thoughts and the right words. "Where did you get this!?" It looked like Shintaro was having trouble controlling his emotions. The Freak Chips had given him a lot of trouble in his first two months in Youkai Academy. When no more Freaks had shown up, Shintaro was relieved, and hadn't given the Freak Chips much thought. However, just seeing the object was causing Shintaro's anger and disgust to rise.

Freak Chips were devices used by Shiroku to turn students of Youkai Academy into monstrous abominations. The first time he had faced a Freak was the Lizard Freak made up of the three lizardmen students. The biggest had been the Sea Serpent Freak created by merging the members of the Swim Team. The last Freak Shintaro had faced had been Octopus Freak. He had not been conscious to fight the Kitsune Freak. Kamikaze had been the one to take care of that.

Whenever a Freak was defeated, the Freak Chip used to turn them had dissolved into dust and the victim was cured. To see one of those Freak Chips perfectly intact for longer than a few seconds wasn't something Shintaro expected to find in Topper's pawn shop. A lot of questions whirled in his mind. Had Topper gotten it through one of his clients or through less than legal channels? Had Shiroku come here? Whatever the reason or however the method, Shintaro wasn't sure if he could trust Topper right now when he had the device in his possession.

"Take a deep breath and calm yourself," Topper advised, "Now, take a seat. I'll have Ruby get you tea."

"Yes..." Shintaro said, still reeling from seeing the Freak Chip. "Yes, tea. Ice tea, if you don't mind."

"I don't," said Topper, "You're going to need it with what I'm about to tell you." He went to exit the backroom but stopped at the doorway to advise, "And Shintaro, don't go breaking anything. That item is still part of the inventory. If you break it, you buy it."

"I know," said Shintaro, his eyes still focused on the Freak Chip before him. "I promise, I won't break anything."

"Good, I'll hold you to that," said Topper before he left Shintaro alone with the Freak Chips, and most importantly his own thoughts.

* * *

"So, Ruby-san, you're really a witch like me?" Yukari asked. Ruby had been asked to show the girls around the shop. However, the elder witch's attention seemed to be more focused on the young witchling.

"Yes, I am," said Ruby, "But I promised Topper-san I would not use my powers here. Some of the items in the shop are quite volatile and sensitive to magic."

"So, it's true that this place houses magical artifacts?" Yukari asked.

"Enchanted and also cursed," said Ruby. "When I first came here, I could sense there was something magical about this place."

"How did you come here?" Moka asked curiously. "Shintaro didn't seem to know that you were hired."

"He didn't?" Ruby asked. "I guess Topper-san wanted to surprise Shintaro-kun. I can say I was. I've been looking forward to meeting Kaze-kun's best friend." At the mention of Kaze's name, Ruby adopted a look of fondness and a blush on her face. It was pretty obvious how she felt about Topper's son. "He's the reason I'm here, actually. You see...I've lost my home and had nowhere else to go. Topper-san was kind enough to give me a place to stay. He also pays me. In exchange, I would work for him."

"That's kind of him," said Moka. Wasn't Shintaro also offered the same deal?

"He is, if only a little eccentric," Ruby admitted. "But I'm sure Shintaro-kun has told you a lot about him."

"Not much," said Kurumu. "I mean, I kinda doubt Shintaro knows much about this Topper guy so he didn't really tell us a lot."

"Yes, he's a mystery to me too," said Ruby. Once Ruby tried to get a read on Topper, but it was like he was not there yet everywhere all at once. It had been disturbing, so Ruby hadn't tried to do it again. Trying to perceive Topper beyond the normal spectrum of senses had not been a good idea. It did give Ruby a good idea of what not to do.

"So, what's in the backroom?" Kurumu asked.

"Things we couldn't put in the showroom, for specific reasons," said Topper as he exited. "Ruby, would you mind making some ice tea for me and Shintaro?"

"Hai, Topper-san!" Ruby obeyed before heading to the kitchen.

Topper greeted the girls, "_Bonjour, mademoiselles_. Welcome to my pawn shop."

Moka replied, "Thank you for having us, Liquer-san."

"Please, just call me Topper," he said. "Everyone calls me Topper, or Mr. Top Hat." He tipped his hat for emphasis. "So, what do you think of my pawn shop?"

"It's very interesting," said Mizore. "And you've got a lot of different things in here."

"Well, I am in the pawning business, after all," said Topper, "I get all sorts of things. What people call junk, I call opportunity and treasure." He gestured towards a coffee mug. "Take this little item for example."

"It's just a coffee mug," said Kurumu.

"Or is it? Is it _really _a mere mug?" Topper asked mysteriously. Ruby returned with a tray and two glasses of ice tea. "Ah, you've got them. Good. I'll bring them with me to share with Shintaro."

"Will you be needing me for anything else, Topper-san?" Ruby asked as she handed the tray to Topper.

"When I do, I will tell you," he said befor entering the backroom. He was relieved to see that Shintaro hadn't tried to destroy the Freak Chip, even if he wanted to. He had good reason to and the temptation was strong. The device was not exactly safe to have around. He put the glass of ice tea down in front of Shintaro before taking his own before taking a seat across from his young ward. Shintaro slowly and carefully took a sip of the refreshing beverage then calmly took a deep breath.

"So, how did you get this? Where did you get it? Who gave it to you?" Shintaro fired questions. Topper finished half his ice tea and put the glass down.

"I got this from you," said Topper and Shintaro's eyes widened in shock as the glass slipped from his grasp. Topper was quick enough to reach over and catch the glass before it fell to the floor. He didn't want any tea stains or broken glass on his clean floor.

"...From _me_!?" Shintaro gasped. Topper gently put the glass back down on the table.

"You've wanted to know where you came from," said Topper. "It's time you knew the truth, Kamen Rider Kai." Topper's playful expression changed into one of seriousness as Shintaro was sent reeling. Little that he knew, his life was about to turn upside down like an hourglass.

* * *

Ruby had served the girls ice tea and cookies. Moka stared at the backroom entrance in concern.

"They've been in there for a while now," the vampire said.

"They're probably just catching up," said Kurumu, dismissing Moka's worry. "Lighten up. It's been months since they've seen each other. I'm sure it'll be fine."

"I guess you're right," said Moka. "I just want Shintaro-kun to show me around the city."

"Yeah," said Kurumu. "I've heard so much about the human world. I really wanna check it out."

"I know exactly what you mean," agreed Mizore.

"And this place isn't so bad," Yukari admitted.

"Well, if you like, I could give you a tour," Ruby offered. "This place actually has some very interesting things."

* * *

Shintaro sat in the chair, stiff as a corpse and pale as a ghost. Topper had given him the answers to his questions and was shaken to the very core. Topper once again took another sip of his ice tea. Shintaro, however, finished his in one go and took another deep breath.

"So, that's what happened?" Shintaro asked, unsure if he was to believe Topper or not.

"On the day you came to my pawn shop, you offered me this Freak Chip," said Topper. "In exchange, I was to seal away your memories. I even have the original contract with your signature."

"But...why? Why did I need to have my memories sealed?" Shintaro asked.

"Perhaps you were traumatized by something," Topper suggested. "You were not forthcoming with the information. All you wanted was to forget and I made you forget. This Freak Chip was used as payment for our deal."

"But why did you take me in?" Shintaro asked. "Why didn't you just let me go?"

"I sealed away your memories, Shintaro," Topper reminded, "I couldn't just let you leave. My conscience wouldn't let me. It wasn't safe for you and it would be too cruel to turn you away. So I took you in to give you a home."

"And what about my family? Where are they?" Shintaro asked. Topper was silent. "Topper, what about my family?" Topper took out a folded sheet of paper and slid it over to Shintaro.

"Here's an address, and make sure to bring flowers," Topper said. Shintaro took the sheet and folded it open. He read the address and his eyes widened. He knew that place.

"This isn't funny," Shintaro hissed.

"I wasn't trying to be funny," replied Topper. "It's up to you whether you want to believe it or not."

Shintaro glanced at the address then back at Topper. This man who had cared for him for months, treated him like family, had no reason to lie. He kept secrets, yes. Everyone had secrets. But Topper would answer any question as long as it didn't violate an agreement. Perhaps in the contract it did state that Topper had sealed his memories, but maybe there was a statement where Shintaro could ask for answers.

"OK, I believe you," said Shintaro as he accepted the consequences of his inquiry, "Plus, I did ask."

"You did," said Topper, "And I have to say, you've done well in controlling your powers, even if you don't remember where you got them."

"I'm not sure if I ever want to find out how," said Shintaro. "As much as I want to be upset with you for keeping all this a secret from me, I know you only did it at my request."

"But you haven't even seen the contract," countered Topper. "How do you even know I'm telling the truth?"

"Because I know you," said Shintaro. "I know you well enough to know you would not keep secrets, not without a good reason." He put the sheet of paper away. "I'm going to need time to process all this." He then asked, "Are there any jobs for me to do now that you've hired someone new?"

"I always need someone to help me recover items from clients who don't hold up to their end of the bargain," said Topper. "I have a few you may need to collect before nightfall."

"I'll get right on that," said Shintaro.

"Are you sure you can get the job done?" asked Topper. "You just got back."

"I need the distraction, plus it's my first day back. I need to pick up where I left off," Shintaro replied. Topper smiled and removed his top hat before taking out a list. He handed the list over to Shintaro.

"That's today's list," said Topper. "Be back before nightfall. You can stop for lunch, but make sure you're done by nightfall."

"Hai," Shintaro said.

"Oh, and I've called Doctor Herbert West," said Topper. "He'll be happy to see you and your friends tomorrow and give you a tour of the Miskatonic University Museum."

"Thanks," Shintaro nodded before getting up. "Well, guess I'm off."

"Yes, you are," Topper nodded. "Oh, and Shintaro. It's good to have you back."

"Good to be back, I suppose," Shintaro replied. He exited the backroom to see the girls all waiting for him. "Hey, girls."

"How was your talk with Topper-san?" Moka asked.

"We managed to catch up, but now I have work to do. I've got four months of work to make up for starting today," Shintaro told them.

"But we just got here," Kurumu started to protest. "Can't you, I don't know, tell him you'll do it later?"

"It's in my contract, and it's never good to violate the terms," said Shintaro. "Trust me, it never is."

"When will you be back?" Moka asked.

"Probably by nightfall. But by then, there's something I need to do," he answered.

"What is it?" Mizore asked.

"I need to pay my parents a visit," he answered before leaving the shop.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Yukari asked. That was probably the first time he had ever mentioned his parents. Topper exited the backroom next.

"I take it Shintaro has left?" Topper asked Ruby.

"Yes, Topper-san," Ruby replied. "Ano, Topper-san, would it be alright to give our guests a tour of the pawn shop?"

"Well, they did come all this way," said Topper. "OK, I'll allow it. However, you do remember that if they break something they must pay for it."

"Don't worry, Topper," Smith-sensei replied. "I'll make sure my students don't misbehave."

"Good," Topper nodded. "Well, I'll be busy in the backroom. Ruby, please entertain our guests and show them around."

"Hai," Ruby saluted. "Come with me, please."

Moka turned to look at the front door, wondering and worrying about Shintaro, before joining the group on a tour of the pawn shop. The first room they came to was the game room.

"This is the game room," said Ruby. "As you can see, we have a lot of classic video games here."

The shelves were full of Famicom, Super Famicom, and Sega game cartridges, and there were a lot of them. Not only that, there were the appropriate consoles set up under a television. In the corner of the room was an old arcade machine with the word 'POLYBIUS' on it.

"Shintaro-kun must've spent a lot of time in here," Moka remarked.

"I wouldn't know," said Ruby, "But I know Kaze does love to play games. He would sit there to relax." She pointed to a bean bag chair. Kurumu went and sat down.

"Wow, this is the most comfortable bean bag chair I've ever sat on," said Kurumu, smiling.

Ruby corrected, "That is not a bean bag chair."

Kurumu blinked and then a tendril came out of the 'chair'. The tip of the tendril then grew an eye before multiple eyes popped open on the surface of the 'bean bag chair'. She shrieked and scrambled off the creature that was definitely _not _a chair.

"What is that things!?" Kurumu screamed.

"Could you do that again?" Mizore asked, holding up her cell phone. "I didn't manage to get that picture." Kurumu glared.

"Oh, that's Bob," said Ruby. "He's a Shoggoth. Don't worry, he's harmless." Bob glided over to the girls and Ruby gave it a soft pat on the head. "Bob, these are new friends." Bob looked at them with its multiple eyes, which made the girls feel uncomfortable. "Now, you go back to your nap." Bob then glided back and closed its eyes.

"OK, that wasn't something I expected to find here," said Yukari. "And what's a Shoggoth?"

"It's just a creature from another dimension. A sentient blob monster," said Ruby. "Topper-san said he got it for Kaze for his birthday a long time ago." The Youkai Academy girls could only stare as Bob just lay there, relaxing. It looked like a blob, but with dry skin, so that was why Kurumu thought it was a bean bag chair.

"You know, my dad was an avid gamer," said Smith-sensei. "He would've loved to be here, just sitting on his ass and playing games while avoiding work until my mom forced him to get off his ass to do his work."

"Grandpa was funny!" giggled River. She then went towards the Shoggoth and poked it. Bob opened its eyes. "Hi~!" she greeted before cuddling the creature. Bob the Shoggoth let out a pleasant squeal from the hug. Smith-sensei smiled. River was a very affectionate child and not scared of anything.

Moka's curiosity caused her eyes to wander and then she found something strange. It was a Super Mario Bros 3 cartridge that was kept in a glass case which was covered in holy scriptures.

"Ruby-san, what's this?" Moka asked.

"That, Akashiya-san, is the most unholy game ever created. Legend has it that it is the product of the Devil and Hell itself," Ruby said.

"...That is the _dumbest _thing I've ever heard," stated Kurumu. That was when the cartridge emitted an eerie glow and Kurumu recoiled at the sight.

"Told you so," Ruby smirked smugly.

"How did it end up like that?" Mizore asked.

"Topper-san told me that a gamer, who also happened to be a Devil worshipper, died while playing this game. Since then, the game has passed from one person to another, causing tragedy. Topper-san eventually got his hands on it and now it's being kept here."

"The game room?" Moka asked, not understanding the logic.

"Safest place for a cursed/possessed video game," said Ruby.

"_Your mothers suck cocks in Hell!_" the possessed cartridge spat at the girls. The girls gawked at it.

"Did that thing just talk!?" Yukari exclaimed.

"What did it say!?" demanded Moka.

"It does _that _too," Ruby remarked. "The best thing to do is ignore it."

"But it's so rude!" Moka cried.

"Just ignore it!" urged Ruby as she ushered the girls out of the room before the cartridge actually started vomiting, painting the inside of the glass case. When it did, it was very unpleasant to clean. Smith-sensei and River both watched as the possessed game cartridge spun in the air, emitting an unearthly glow as it cursed and cursed and cursed.

"Daddy, that naughty game needs its mouth washed out," River said as she pointed at the cartridge.

"It does, sweetie, it does," agreed Smith-sensei. He looked at the Polybius arcade machine. Fortunately, the controls and screen were all boarded up. "Let's go and see the rest of this place."

"Yay~!" cheered River. "Bye-bye, Mr. Shoggoth!" Bob squealed and waved with a tendril before going back to sleep.

* * *

"Hello, Toriyama-san? You've violated the terms of your contract. I'm here to collect the item you've purchased," said Shintaro. He received no answer. "Toriyama-san?" He knocked on the door but then it creaked open. The door was ajar. "OK, getting creepy. Nothing new here." He opened the door the rest of the way and entered the apartment. "Toriyama-san?" It was quiet, too quiet. He politely said, "I'm coming in," and went deeper into the apartment. He then saw Mr. Toriyama and sighed. He also saw the 5 inch stone statue that had its back facing him. "You were told not to remove the blindfold." Making sure not to make eye contact with the statue, he put a thick blindfold over its eyes. He looked at Mr. Toriyama who had been turned to stone.

Part of Shintaro should feel sympathy at what had happened to Mr. Toriyama. According to the record, he had purchased a Medusa Statue from Topper. The one warning on the contract was that Mr. Toriyama must never remove the statue's blindfold, which he had. As soon as he made eye contact, this was the result.

Shintaro picked up the statue and put it away. He then decided to leave. This was an unfortunate tragedy which could've been avoided if Mr. Toriyama just heeded the warning. For the next few hours, Shintaro went from one address to the next, each listed by Topper. He went to collect the items then leave.

By nightfall, Shintaro finally stopped in front of the local cemetery. He had already run his errands, collecting items from each of the clients listed. He had really gotten used to his job. While horrified at the result of the people disobeying or ignoring the warnings, they served to become cautionary tales for the next person who desired to purchase the items. Topper was not responsible for what happened to them, as stated in the contract, and was not liable for what happened to them whenever they did ignore the warnings.

The owner of the pawn shop would know when his rules were violated and Shintaro would be sent to collect the items. At first, he was horrified that Topper would sell people such items, knowing they were dangerous. However, business was still business and Topper needed to make a living. Besides, the items were actually safe lest the rules were obeyed and warnings not ignored. Shintaro, despite his horror, eventually got used to the job.

He checked the sheet of paper to see if he got the right place. He sighed, "Well, it looks like this is the place." He was really hoping it wasn't, but this was his last stop. He got off his bike with the flowers he had stopped to buy earlier. "Well, time to say hello." He walked along the path and checked each gravestone until he found what he was looking for. He stood before the gravestone and gently lay the flowers down.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad," Shintaro said apologetically, "Sorry I haven't been able to come by for awhile. I kinda forgot you both existed."

His parents names were Shigeru Mido and Sayuri Mido, and both had died two years ago. Shintaro sighed. How could he have forgotten his own parents? What else had he forgotten? He would need to ask Topper and if he wasn't going to provide any answers then Shintaro would look them up. According to the dates on the gravestone, the couple had died on 23rd September 2011. That was almost two years ago.

"Visiting a graveyard. How appropriate," said a familiar, sinister voice. "I won't have to look far to bury you." Shintaro whirled around and before his eyes was the Man in White himself, also known as...

"Shiroku!" Shintaro recognized.

"That's my name, don't wear it out," said Shiroku who was balancing on one foot while standing on a gravestone. It was a very disrespectful gesture, but Shiroku didn't have much respect for anyone, both living or dead. "It's been awhile, hasn't it, Kuro-no-Shinigami?"

"OK, stop calling me that!" Shintaro yelled back in annoyance. "Why do you even call me _that_!? What does it even me!?"

"Oh?" Shiroku blinked. "You don't remember? You don't know what you did? You don't know what you caused?"

"Let's just say my memory isn't what it used to, not like it's any of your business," Shintaro retorted.

"Then how about I help jog your memory?" Shiroku offered as he snapped his fingers. Two figures emerged from behind a couple of gravestones. How come Shintaro hadn't noticed them. "Say hello to some old friends." Shiroku had brought along a pair of Freaks, monsters he created by implanting people with his Freak Chips.

The Dog Freak was covered in black fur, with bone spikes protruding from its spine. It had three heads, two which took the place of its hands, each wearing bone-white armor plating like masks. There were also red markings all over its body. The Spider Freak was female, with a spider-like head that had eight, long spindly legs extending from it and eight eyes. Eight eyes also occupied its chest and it stood aloft with the use of its long spider-like legs. The hands sported sharp, blade-like claws, and the tips of its toes had sharp stingers that dripped venom.

"Recognize them? Their names are Inugami and Keito," Shiroku introduced the Dog Freak and Spider Freak. "They are former members of your school's Student Police."

"What have you done to them!?" Shintaro demanded. Even if they were former members of the corrupt Student Police, not even they deserved this kind of fate.

"I fixed them," said Shiroku. "Made them better, stronger, and now they're here to kill you." He snapped his fingers and pointed at Shintaro as he commanded, "Get him!"

The Dog Freak howled and lunged with all three jaws open. Shintaro quickly activated his belt and transformed before he caught the Dog Freak and threw it over his head to land several feet away. The Spider Freak then leapt into the fray and spat a wad of webbing that stuck to Kai's visor. This left him blind and vulnerable as he tried to tear the webbing away. The Spider Freak then kicked at Kai, sending him flying, crashing through a gravestone, before he tumbled along the ground. He managed to tear off the webbing, just in time to be picked up by the Dog Freak and then slammed down on the Freak's knee. The Dog Freak then tossed Kai into the air and the Spider Freak struck, stabbing Kai multiple times with its spider legs before slamming him to the ground. As the Spider Freak prepared to stab him, Kai performed his Time Freeze technique to freeze the monster. Unfortunately, the Dog Freak could still move and he dragged Kai over before swinging him around to smash into a gravestone, shattering it to pieces.

Kai's Time Freeze could affect anything. Unfortunately, it only worked on whatever was in his line of sight. As the Dog Freak had been outside his line of sight, including his peripheral vision, it had not been affected. The Dog Freak then picked Kai up just as the Spider Freak was freed from the effects of Kai's Time Freeze. The Dog Freak then started attacking Kai viciously, forcing the Rider on the defensive.

"In case you were wondering why they were so much stronger, they've had time to mature unlike the ones you've fought months ago," Shiroku informed Kai.

Kai concentrated as his Spectrum Plates turned orange and his body became red hot due to his transformation into Vulcan Form. The Dog Freak recoiled and then went flying as a flaming punch smashed into its muzzle. The Spider Freak tried to pin Kai down with a web but the webbing was incinerated when it came into contact with his body. He conjured his Twin Edge Chrono Blade and separated both the long and short swords before igniting them. The Spider Freak swung its legs but they were parried by Kai.

Kai's back exploded and he was thrown forwards, smashing into another gravestone. The Dog Freak was the perpetrator as smoke rose from its three muzzles. It then fired a barrage of energy spheres that hit Kai. He parried with his two swords but was left wide open as the Spider Freak grabbed hold of him and tossed him up, leaving him vulnerable in the air. The Dog Freak fired again and the explosion sent Kai flying and crashing into another gravestone, landing in a smoking heap.

"Ugh," Kai grunted as he forced himself back to his feet but the two Freaks were on him in an instant. He assumed Aegis Form, his Spectrum Plates turning indigo to protect himself with barriers, but the two Freaks hammered into his Aegis Shield and, much to his shock, shattered it. He hadn't even had a chance to convert the kinetic energy. Defenseless, the Dog Freak restrained him as the Spider Freak bit into his shoulder and he cried out in pain.

Shiroku smiled as both his Freaks overpowered Kai and he also saw the crystal stone in Kai's belt blinking. He was running out of power and growing weaker. It was probably because of the Spider Freak's venom. Casually, Shiroku stepped over to Kai then removed his helmet before tossing it away. The Spider and Dog Freaks then forced Shintaro to his knees as he glared at Shiroku in defiance and anger.

"You know, because of you I had to start my work all over again," Shiroku said. "All that time, all that money, all those resources went into making all those Freak Chips, but you ruined everything. I was just fortunate to find a new group to support me financially." He took out a Freak Chip. "Now, it's time you paid for your crimes to me. You destroyed my Freaks, so I'll make you into a Freak."

"Just try it," Shintaro challenged venomously. Shiroku shrugged, accepting the challenge, and was about to put the Freak Chip on Shintaro when all of a sudden...

**KLONG!**

A brass wash basin fell on his head. Shiroku collapsed on the ground from the sudden impact and both Freaks were confused. Suddenly, ice kunai flew through the air and hit both Freaks, knocking them back as they tried to shield themselves. Then, a flying figure swooped in and picked Shintaro up, safely depositing him a distance away from Shiroku and the Freaks.

"Shintaro-kun!" Moka cried as she hugged him.

"Moka...?" he asked, blinking.

"We got worried when you didn't get back by nightfall," said Moka. The sun had set. "Topper-san told us to help you. He even showed us where to go look for you."'

"Thanks, girls," said Shintaro gratefully. "I owe you." He felt a stinging and burning pain in his shoulder from where the Spider Freak had bitten him.

"Looks like the cavalry has arrived," said Shiroku as he adjusted his hat. "Well played. I brought along friends and your friends decided to come save you. Not like it's going to make any sort of difference, mind you."

"We won't let you hurt Shintaro-kun!" Moka snapped, standing protectively in front of Shintaro. The Spider Freak charged but was slashed by Kurumu's claws. Its spider legs were also frozen solid by Mizore and then shattered by Yukari's brass basins. The Dog Freak, however, managed to dodge as he charged at Moka and Shintaro. Shintaro pushed Moka out of the way, his hand clutching the rosary seal, as the Dog Freak pounced on him. He tried to hold off the Freak from biting him but it was violently thrown off him by a kick. He looked up and saw Inner Moka smirking at him.

"Need a hand, Kai?" Inner Moka asked as she offered Shintaro her hand. He accepted and she helped him up. Shiroku gritted his teeth in anger at their interference. He had not exactly planned for this. He wanted to turn Shintaro into a Freak. As powerful as Keito and Inugami were as Freaks, he didn't want to waste anymore time here. They were outnumbered too, so Shiroku didn't have much of an advantage in numbers anymore.

"Keito, Inugami, fall back! Let's get out of here!" Shiroku ordered. Shiroku grabbed hold of a grenade and tossed it to the ground. When it exploded, smoke erupted from it and covered the area in a thick cloud. The two Freaks and Shiroku took this chance to withdraw and regroup.

"Alright, they ran off!" Kurumu cheered. "Sissies!"

"Yeah, they ran away like chickens!" added Yukari as she and Kurumu high-fived. Mizore had gone to check on Shintaro and saw that he was pale, and covered in sweat.

"Shintaro?" Mizore asked.

"I...got bit..." he told her before he collapsed and passed out, his armor fading away. Mizore caught him as Yukari and Kurumu panicked.

"Stop screaming," said Inner Moka as she picked Shintaro up. "We need to get him back to the pawn shop."

"Let me do it," Kurumu volunteered. "I can fly him there faster!" Inner Moka acknowledged and handed Shintaro to Kurumu.

"Try not to get spotted," Inner Moka advised and Kurumu nodded before taking off. Yukari, Mizore and Inner Moka watched her go.

"Now, what was Shintaro doing here in a cemetery?" Yukari asked. The girls looked about the graveyard, seeing many destroyed stones. One that they noticed however remained in pristine condition, despite all of the others destroyed in the process of the fight. Approaching it, they saw written on it was a pair of names: Shigeru Mido and Sayuri Mido.

"I see," Inner Moka said. "So, this is what he meant."

* * *

Back at the pawn shop, the door opened and Ruby smiled to greet yet another customer. Her smile turned wide and excited as she saw a certain someone she had been waiting for making his return. "Kaze-kun! Welcome back!"

"Good to be back," Kaze smiled. "So, what have I missed?"

* * *

**KAMEN RIDER CHROME: Looks like we find out a bit more of where Shintaro came from. Also, we learn that a Shintaro and Shiroku, as well as John and Topper, go way back. So, I bet you're wondering why John's daughter in named River and why she said Shintaro resembled his uncle. Well...SPOILERS! I can't tell you, at least not yet. Now, the Cerberus in Kuyou's group was never given a name, so I thought Inugami worked. I know, it's lame, but he and the golem were not ever named. Deshiko was, but she isn't due to show up...yet. So, the girls also got a tour of the pawn shop, and we see what Shintaro's job is. Also, how did Ruby join the pawn shop? I bet we'll get a story about that pretty soon. But right now Shintaro isn't looking very good. He got beat and now he's been poisoned. Will he be alright? Can't tell you here. SPOILERS!**

**Also, you're probably wondering why Shiroku retreated despite having the upper hand. While he did have two powerful Freaks guarding him, he didn't want to deal with a succubus, a yuki-onna, a witch and especially not a vampire. One of them could get to him as Yukari had proven and he did not want to be left at a disadvantage.**


End file.
